Guides / Palms

Palms

Single-stemmed tropical and subtropical plants.

Illustration of a Canary Island date palm

B

Bottle Palm
Hyophorbe lagenicaulis
How to grow bottle palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis. The whole wild population survives on one island off Mauritius, and while an established plant tolerates drought, salt and wind, any real frost does lasting damage.
Moderate

C

Cabbage Palm
Sabal palmetto
How to grow cabbage palm, Sabal palmetto. Why a young plant shows no trunk for years, in what growers call the grass stage, its rare tolerance for salt, wind and cold, and why harvesting its edible heart kills the tree.
Moderate
Chusan Palm
Trachycarpus fortunei
Practical guidance for growing chusan palm, Trachycarpus fortunei, including exceptional cold hardiness, fan fronds, hairy fibrous trunk, red palm weevil, and slow early establishment.
Easy

M

Mediterranean Fan Palm
Chamaerops humilis
Practical guidance for growing Mediterranean fan palm, Chamaerops humilis, including its clumping suckering habit, spiny petioles, drought tolerance, alkaline soil, and slow growth.
Easy

P

Pygmy Date Palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Practical guidance for growing pygmy date palm, Phoenix roebelenii, including its base spines, slow arching fronds, bright light, steady moisture, and pet-safe care.
Moderate

Q

Queen Palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana
Practical guidance for growing queen palm, Syagrus romanzoffiana, including fast feather-palm growth, nutrient deficiency, fusarium decline, frost tenderness, and heavy fruit drop.
Moderate

R

Royal Palm
Roystonea regia
How to grow royal palm, Roystonea regia. It shows nutrient deficiency in its fronds without a dedicated feeding programme, the landscape-scale space a mature specimen needs, and the slow early growth before the trunk shoots up.
Moderate