Palms are universally recognized as the symbol of the tropics. No other plant can visually transform a landscape into a tropical environment like palms. In tropical and subtropical areas of the United States there has been an enormous rise in their popularity in the last 10-20 years. Both residents and visitors of these areas have come to expect this landscape to be visibly different from the northern, midwest, or eastern states. Unfortunately, although the popularity of palms has risen tremendously, there is little accurate written information on the installation and maintenance of these plants.
Palms are totally different from the typical shrubs and trees we encounter in our landscapes. Linnaeus, the "father" of plant taxonomy (the naming of plants), called this plant family "Principes," literally, the princes of the plant kingdom. Although we use these plants for their aesthetic appeal, they are also very important economically throughout the world. Palms are second only to the grasses or grains in economic importance. Most people encounter palm products on a daily basis, whether it be in the bar of soap that washes there hands, the tasty popcorn at the movie (I know!), the candy bar that gets us through the afternoon, or the woven welcome mat at the front door.
Palms are monocots, members of a very diverse Order that includes the grasses, bamboos, grains, and even the orchids. They have been described as arborescent monocots, that is, "grasses that grow as tall as trees". The more I study palms, the more I like that description, mainly because it reveals a lot about the horticultural needs of these plants. Palms and turfgrass share many common secondary diseases (but different pathovars). Similar environmental conditions allow these secondary diseases to develop. Additionally, many palms have water requirements that are compatible with grasses. This means that palms fit in well with a typical landscape using turf as the ground cover and specimen palms as the statuesque focal points. Palms and grasses show water stress in a similar manner also. In grasses the blades close tightly in half conserving water. In feather palms, the pinnae fold together in a similar fashion. Most palms require well aerated soil, turf is also aerated. The nutritional needs of these two plant groups is also very similar (i.e. most good turf fertilizers make good palm fertilizers, and vice versa).
In the landscape, the beauty, durability, and variety of palms places them at the top of the most highly prized of all landscape plants. In the United States there are only a handful of very popular palms, and the maintenance of these species is critical if they are to perform as expected. I hope that the information provided by this website will guide you in the successful maintenance of these wonderful plants.
Palms are universally recognized as the symbol of the tropics. No other plant can visually transform a landscape into a tropical environment like palms. In tropical and subtropical areas of the United States there has been an enormous rise in their popularity in the last 10-20 years. Both residents and visitors of these areas have come to expect this landscape to be visibly different from the northern, midwest, or eastern states. Unfortunately, although the popularity of palms has risen tremendously, there is little accurate written information on the installation and maintenance of these plants.
