Canary Island Date Palm

Scientific name:  
Phoenix Canariensis

Description: Very formal in appearance with a single, large, canopy of 50 to150 stiffly arched fronds with a spiny, diamond shaped pattern to the trunk. This is a very slow growing tree and very drought resistant.

Culture: Propagation of this palm is through seeds and takes about 2-3 months.

Related species: Phoenix sylvestris, Phoenix roebelenii, and Phoenix dactylifera

Landscape use: Grand tropical centerpieces, formal specimens, they compliment a Mediterranean style. The very impressive scar pattern on the trunk adds to its ornamental nature. Lots of growth room should be given.

Cold hardiness: Leaf loss occurs in prolonged periods of 20 degrees and below. This palm thrives in warm, sunny weather.

Size: The height can also be 35' - 40 feet, with a grand trunk width of up to 3 feet and leaf spread of 25 feet, tip to tip.

Other notes: Thrives in well-drained soil. Over irrigation may increase susceptibility to fungal diseases. Transplanting these large specimens should be done with extreme care, not to damage the irreplaceable heart, or create stress. The Palmetto weevil easily invades stressed plants.

Scientific name: Butia Capitata

Description: A feathery palm with gray-green to blue-green fronds, 6'-8' feet long and a massive trunk up to 2' feet across. The only feather palm commonly grown in the Southeast.

Native habitat: Native to Uruguay and Southern Brazil, in areas that have warm summers and occasional frost in winter.

Size: Can reach 30 feet, but 10'-20 feet is more common, Growth rate is slow to moderate.

Cold hardiness: Cold hardy throughout Zone 8, although it may be injured in cold winters in Zone 8a. These trees are not quite as hardy as the Palmetto Palm. In Zone 7 and north, winter protection is recommended below 15 degrees. During cold spells, some jelly palm owners tie up the soft, flexible leaves and cover them with burlap or some other material to prevent cold damage to the leaves.

Culture: Best growth is in full sun and well-drained soil. Reasonably drought hardy once established.

Landscape use: This is the most commonly cultivated exotic palm in the Southeast, and in Zone 8 it is used in many landscape situations. Because of its showy appearance, its most natural use is as a single specimen. Tolerates salt spray.

Other notes: Jelly palm is a prolific bloomer and bearer of seeds, from which jelly or wine is sometimes made. There is a lot of variation in leaf color and shape for this particular palm.

Scientific name:  
Washingtonia Robusta

Description: Massive palm with a trunk up to two feet across. Leaves are yellow/ green and palmate with spiny stems. Leaves have numerous threads hanging between the leaf segments. If not pruned off, dead leaves persist almost indefinitely.

Native habitat: Native to desert oases in southern California and the native palm of Palm Springs. Commonly planted in California and Florida.

Size: Truly immense. In warm climates plants can grow up to 100 feet tall; although, thus far, no plants (to our knowledge) have been spotted that large in S. Carolina. Very fast growing.

Cold hardiness: The true cold-hardiness of this plant is a matter of considerable debate. In areas that have fairly cold but dry winters, the Mexican Fan Palm is reported to tolerate weather down to zero degrees or lower. In the Southeast, the Mexican Fan Palm seems to suffer some leaf damage at temperatures less than 20 degrees; rapid recovery with spring temperatures.   Planting in fast-draining soil enhances cold-hardiness.

Landscape use: The large size and fast growth rate demand careful placement. Moderate salt tolerance.

Related species: Washintonia filifera, a somewhat shorter tree with a fatter trunk.

Palmetto Palm, Cabbage Palm

Scientific name: Sabal palmetto

Description: The palm tree commonly seen near the coast, has large, blue-green costaplamate leaves with threadlike strands of fiber hanging off each leaf. Leaves have a distinctive, large notch in the middle. Trees from southern Florida have larger, more elliptical leaves. The trunk is massive (can be a foot and a half across) and wild plants retain old frond stem base (often called boot) on their trunks in a crisscross pattern. These are sometimes removed on cultivated plants.

Native habitat: Native to the southeastern coast from southern North Carolina to the northern panhandle of Florida. North of Florida, the native range of this palm is restricted to coastal areas that are subject to salt spray and storms. Native to inland areas of Florida peninsula, as well as the Bahamas.

Size: These trees can reach 30 - 40 feet in our area. Growth rate is usually moderate in our area. One admirable specimen in Brunswick, Georgia is about 70 feet tall with a trunk diameter of almost 2 feet.

Cold hardiness: Almost a weed along the coast and hardy throughout Zone 8, especially when planted in sandy soil. Needs a protected, warm site and/or special sheltering to survive in Zone 7 and north. Some specimens planted in good sites have survived subzero temperatures. Hardiness decreases with trunk height. Also, seedlings and small plants are susceptible to cold damage.

Culture: Plant in full sun to light shade. Does best on sandy soil with some limestone, like that found in old shell-mounds near the beach. Does best with ample water. Very tolerant of salt spray, flooding, fire, and hurricanes. In fact, it is tolerant of just about everything other than extreme cold. Scale can sometimes be a problem, especially on plants that have been transplanted. Special note for transplants: It is possible to buy some very large Sabal palmetto plants dug from wild stands in Florida. Transplanted S. palmettos need some special care to survive. First, every leaf should be removed from the plant. S. palmetto roots cannot grow back once they have been cut. New roots have to sprout from the trunk, once the palm has been transplanted. Removing the palm's leaves lessens the strain on its root system. No nails should be driven in the trunk, should bracing be required, since all wounds on palm trunks are permanent. A better way to attach the braces to the palm is to strap short lengths of lumber next to the trunk with heavy gauge wire; then nail the support braces to the short pieces of lumber. Transplanted palms require conscientious watering and proper fertilization during their first growing season.

Landscape use: The best palm tree for southeastern coastal plantings, the Palmetto Palm is a symbol of the "sea islands" landscape. It has been used in all sorts of landscaper styles and situations. The Palmetto actually tends to have a loose, wild look that can make it look somewhat out of place in formal settings. Watering during dry spells, fertilizing, and pruning off dead leaves can sharpen its appearance up.

Ribbon Fan Palm or
Weeping Cabbage Palm

Scientific name: Livistona decipiens

Description: Graceful fronds, which hang down for several feet lay claim to this palm's beauty. The fronds have many folded and divided segments which create the beautiful weeping effect. The stems are long and edged with small sharp spines. The aged trunks loose their boots and have a smooth, mahogany look and feel. The flowers are bisexual and yellow.

Native habitat: On the central coast of Australia at the edge of the rainforest. Trees may reach 30' tall.

Size: Fronds can reach 6' long and trunks are only up to 10" in diameter. Very slow growing, mature height is usually far less than it's native capabilities.

Cold hardiness: Will survive in zones 9-11 with no problem at 24 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientific name:  
Trachycarpus fortunei

Description: Palm tree growing on a single trunk, with about 20 leaves. The leaves are fan-shaped and resemble needle palm leaves. The slender (1 foot or less diameter) trunk is brown and is usually covered with a burlap-like substance. The trunk is often wider at the top than at the bottom.

Native habitat: An understory tree from forests in eastern China.

Size: Height at maturity is 40 feet in California, with 25 feet being more common in our region. Growth rate is moderate to somewhat fast with good care. At first, it can grow one to two feet a year.

Cold hardiness: Windmill palms are the hardiest palm trees, and are probably the only palm trees that are well adapted to colder climates. Hardy throughout all of Zone 8, and most of Zone 7 if planted in a sheltered site. Windmills have survived temperatures as low as 11 degrees without permanent damage, but needs a good site and/ or extra protection to survive subzero weather.

Culture: In the Southeast, best with full sun (Zone 7) to light shade (Zone 8b). Must have some shade in zone 8b. Will tolerate most soils, but prefers a rich fertile, loamy soil. Windmill palms grow best with ample water, but they can't tolerate standing water or a high water table. It does not like really warm weather, and grows poorly in southern Florida: cannot take direct salt spray.

Landscape use: Beautiful in groups, but also effective as a single specimen.

Related species: Trachycarpus wagnerianus and T. takil are smaller, (roughly) equally cold hardy versions of the windmill palm. In fact, they are both probably just varieties of T. fotunei. They are attractive, slow growing and usually quite expensive. Trachycarpus martianus and T. khasyanus look like larger- leafed versions of the windmill palm. These species come from warmer areas (Himalayas and Burma) and their cold-hardiness in the Southeast is still under evaluation. Another species, Trachycarpus nanus, has recently been introduced into cultivation from southwestern China. This is a dwarf species that matures at about 4 feet high. The cold-hardiness of this species is not known, but should be about the same as for T. fortunei.

Scientific names:  
Sabal minor and Sabal Louisiana

Description: Sometimes described as a clumping plant, but in truth having only one trunk, usually either very short or entirely below ground. Leaves are palmate or slightly costa-paimate and vary from green to blue-green in color, usually no more than a half-dozen on a single plant. They differ from the leaves of other native dwarf palms by having a split "V" right in the middle.

Native habitat: Sabal minor has the same habitat as the needle palm, only much more common, Sabal Louisiana is found in river flood plains in Louisiana and Texas.

Size: The usual size is 4 to 5 feet high and wide. Growth rate is slow. S. Louisiana will eventually form a short trunk, usually remaining under 4' feet.

Cold hardiness: Hardy throughout most of the Southeast, but not as hardy as the needle palm. Established plants will take short spells of subzero weather, though some leaf damage may occur if temperatures go much below ten degrees. S. minor is reputed to be hardier than S. Louisiana. Like the needle palm, it's not really bothered by cold, wet winters. Wild specimens are often under shallow water during the winter months.

Culture: Dwarf Palmettos prefer a moist, sunny location. A bank of a creek or lake is an ideal situation. These palms will also tolerate a fair amount of shade, but growth and blue color will be best in full sun. Any soil with adequate moisture will suffice. It only thrives in areas with hot, humid, summer weather.

Landscape use: Used best in groups, but can also be effective as a single specimen. It tolerates some salt spray. There is a truly beautiful planting of dwarf palmettos around the central fountain at Brookgreen Gardens, just south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This palm has an "image problem" that results from its confusion with the Saw Palmetto. The difference being that the dwarf palmetto does not have spiny leaf-stems and does not spread over a large area.

Scientific name:
Chamaerops humilis

Description: A small, clumping palm with stiff leaves and spiny leaf stems

Native habitat: Rocky, coastal areas of the western Mediterranean. The only palm native to the European mainland.

Size: Five feet is common in the Southeast; reaches 20 feet in California. Growth rate is slow.

Cold hardiness: Reliable in Zone 8; fairly reliable in a very sheltered site in Zone 7, but best with some winter protection below about 15 degrees.

Culture: Plant in full sun to light shade. Needs well-drained soil and thrives on limestone. Once this palm is established it is extremely drought-tolerant and really only needs water during severe droughts.

Landscape use: A beautiful specimen palm and a common feature of Mediterranean gardens. They are especially attractive in courtyard gardens.

Hardy Bamboo palm

Scientific name:
Chamaedorea microspadix

Description: A clump forming bamboo palm with stems up to 8' in height. The leaves appear to be a matte finish, are sparsely arranged on the stems and can be up to 2' in length. Male and female flowers are born on separate plants. Droopy clusters of bright orange berries dangle from the graceful stems. Likes filtered sun or shade and has a moderate tolerance for drought.

Native Habitat: Eastern forests of Mexico.

Cold hardiness: Zones 8 - 11. Can survive temperatures below freezing without damage.

Landscape uses: Nice as an understory palm beneath oaks or a backdrop for other shade loving plants. Thrives in urban landscapes, planters and as a house plant.

Other notes: Handling seeds may cause skin irritation as they contain oxalic acid. Use caution and gloves.

Scientific name: Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Description: Clumping, under story palm with many palmate, deep-green leaves that have silvery undersides. Its crown is protected by numerous very sharp needles, hence the name.

Native habitat:
River flood plains of the Southeast, mostly below the fall line.

The Needle Palm grows under hardwood trees where the water doesn't flood too deeply in winter, and often, over limestone, though rare to the point of endangerment.

Size: Ultimately, the plant can be about 10 feet high and wide. Most usually, it is 5 feet high: growth rate is slow.

Cold hardiness: Large established specimens in good sites will easily take short spells of 5 degrees below zero. Fifteen degrees below zero is usually fatal, although plants have been known to recover from this temperature. It's as cold hardy as many varieties of holly and southern magnolia (though the needle palm can't tolerate cold wind.) It is the world's cold-hardiest palm. Unlike most palms, it does not seem to mind damp, cold conditions in winter. In good sites, it thrives even at the lower elevations in the Appalachian Mountains.

Culture: Looks best with very light shade and adequate moisture, but adapts to many situations. In zone 7 and north, it must have some sun every day to do well. Caterpillars occasionally attack needle palms, though are easily controlled. They seem to grow well in any soil with adequate moisture.

Landscape use: Use as a single specimen or in groups. A truly stunning native plant. Nothing is perfect, though spines are a hazard and foul smelling seeds are produced in profusion. You won't want to move this plant in a few years, so it's best to think before you plant. It is not very tolerant of salt spray. The needle palm's beauty more than makes up for any of it's faults.

Other notes: One of the easiest palms to grow in the Southeast. The needle palm requires warm, moist summer to do well. Endangered in the wild, the needle palm's future may depend on its popularity as a landscape plant. Interestingly, in Florida it is illegal to collect these palms without a special permit, but no such permit is required to bulldoze them.

Related species: The needle palm has no close relatives native to the Western Hemisphere. There is a recently discovered Chinese species, Guihaia argyrata that looks like a smaller version of the needle palm. Unfortunately our experience suggests that the Chinese species is only hardy to about 15 degrees.

Saw Palmetto or Scrub Palm

Scientific name:  
Serenoa repens

Description: A low, spreading fan palm with stiff leaves and spiny leaf stems. Its trunks usually creep along the ground, rooting and branching as they grow. In coastal regions, it is an aggressive spreader. The only native palm with spiny leaf stems. Plants in our area have yellow-green leaves. Some plants from southeastern Florida have blue-green or silvery leaves. This palm is often confused with Sabal Minor.

Native habitat: Native to coastal areas of the Southeast and most areas of Florida. Very common and easily visible from major highways near the coast. Usually grows in higher and drier areas then the Needle Palm and Dwarf Palmetto. Saw palmetto thrives in areas subject to disturbances such as clear cutting, fire, or salt spray. Often presents a "scrubby" appearance due to the effects of one or more of these factors.

Size: The trunks of Saw Palmetto usually sprawl on the ground and don't get any higher than five feet. Vertical growth rate is slow. Seedling plants from "tree" forms don't necessarily grow into tree-form plants. The only reliable way of obtaining a tree form plant is to transplant one from the wild.

Cold hardiness: Cold hardy throughout its native Zone 8ab and reasonably cold hardy throughout Zone 8a, Notoriously tender in Zone 7 without winter protection.

Related species: None

Scientific name:  
Zamia integreifolia

Description: Delicate looking , pinnate leaves with 6 - 20 pair of flat, oblong leaflets. There are inconspicuous teeth near the tips. Bisexual cone production.

Size: Stem is underground. Leaves or fronds can be 3 feet long.

Native habitat: Coastal sand dunes, dry pinelands and under closed oak canopy's of Georgia, Florida and the Bahamas.

Cold tolerance: Tropical to cool temperate zones; tolerates frost.

Propagation: Seedlings are best grown in the shade, while older plants require sunny locations to encourage cone production.

Description: Numerous long leaves usually flat in a cross section. They have spineless margins and overlap towards the leaf apex. Leaf color is a light green or blue to blue-green. Female and male cones are similar, although the male are narrower.

Native habitat: Mexico

Size: Trunks are mostly subterranean. Above the ground they are only 8'' - 10''.

Cold hardiness: Tolerates frost.

Emperor Sago Palm

Scientific name: Cycas tatiwaniana

Description: Worthy of it's name the Emperor sago is a very majestic palm. Male cones are long and cylindrical whereas the female cone can be about 18" in diameter. Leaves are deep green, highly glossy and flat.

Size: The leaf span is usually around 11' feet long. This is the fastest growing cycad on earth. The can grow to at least 7' of trunk.

Native habitat: Riverbanks and mountain cliffs of Taiwan..

Cold hardiness: Tolerates some frost in a sunny, open, position. Foliage is not as tolerant as the King Sago but the stems are more tolerant.

King Sago Palm

Scientific name: Cycas revoluta

Description: A rugged trunk, topped with whorled stiff feather-like leaves growing in a circular pattern. Rather than continuously adding foliage, Sago's produce a periodic "flush" of new leaves, called a "break". 

Eventually, offsets begin to grow at the base of the specimen, and occasionally in the crown. The addition of offsets provides a source of new plants and many possibilities for developing a unique specimen.

 Native habitat: While various species of Cycads can be found throughout the world, the subtropical C. Revoluta is native to the Far East.

Size: The growth habit of Cycas Revoluta displays an upright trunk with a diameter from 5" to 16" depending on age, these plants can eventually become quite large with a leaf span of over 6' (2m) in diameter.

Cold hardiness: This subtropical plant adapts to a wide range of temperatures from 15 to 110 degrees F (11 to 42 degrees C), accepts full sun or shade, thrives with attention, and tolerates neglect.

Culture: Propagation is by seed or removal of offsets.

Landscape use: These durable plants seem to grow in almost any condition. In the landscape or garden, Sagos do best when established in a well-drained area, and when planted slightly (an inch or so) above ground level. They are fabulous when used as Bonsai.

Other notes: Cycads trace their origins back to ancient flora or the early Mesozoic era. Often called "living fossils", Cycads have changed very little in the last 200 million years; they are extremely long-lived.

Hedge Bamboo

Scientific Name: Bambusa Multiplex Hedge

Synonyms: Arundo multiplex, Bambusa glaucescens, Bambusa nana

Height: 20 - 30 ft.

Light: Prefers full sun, can tolerate shade

Description: Plant has sharp edges, bloom color is silver/grey.

Landscape Use: Woodland garden, shady edge, hedge.

Scientific Name:
Bambusa Multiplex Golden Goddess

Size:
Height: 8 - 10 ft maximum.
Diameter: 1/2 inch

Light: Needs at least 4 hours of sunlight

Description: Plant has yellowish culms and clumping.

Landscape Use: Spreads to form great hedges. Easily managed by cutting off new shoots with a shovel.

Size:
Height: 35 feet
Container Height: 12 to 20 feet
Diameter: 1.5 inches

Light: Full Sun to Partial Shade

Description: Plant has tight clumps of yellow with green striping. New culms have a reddish blush, especially when exposed to alot of sun. Excellent container plant.