Your garden landscape can have a tropical feel by growing a potted palm tree. Containers are suitable for growing a variety of small, dwarf, and miniature palm trees. Potted palms may be grown outdoors all year in tropical or semi-tropical environments. During the summer months in temperate regions, you may bring the palm tree pot out and indoors overwinter it.
It’s extremely simple to grow tropical palm trees in pots. Drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and fast-growing palm trees are ideal for a container garden, patio, or entryway. A big pot and a well-drained, loamy potting mix are all you need for the palm tree to thrive.
The process of growing a potted palm tree outdoors is detailed in this article. How to cultivate a palm tree in a pot is covered in this article. Furthermore, if you’re buying a front or backyard palm tree, descriptions and images of tiny palm trees in pots may assist you pick the right kind.
The Best Palm Trees to Grow in Pots
It’s critical to pick a good palm for your planter. When palms are put in pots, not all of them thrive. Some palms grow quickly and outgrow their container. The areca palm, European fan palm, pygmy date palm, and lady palm are among the other tall varieties of palms that might be dangerous in storms and windy weather.
In pots, these palms thrive as well as on the ground. As a consequence, these palms may be seen growing year-round in the outdoors of Florida.
Outdoor Potted Palms in the Garden Landscape
In a front or backyard, palm trees in containers offer several advantages. Ideal for privacy are medium-growing, potted bushy palm trees. Palm trees in terracotta pots on a patio, beside an entryway, beside a pool, or in a landscaped garden look beautiful with arching, feathery fronds. On a deck area, you can also grow big potted palms for shade. An evergreen privacy screen may be created by planting Bushy palm trees like the areca palm.
Potted Palm Trees For Outdoors (With Pictures) – Identification
Potted palm trees for your garden may be identified using the guide below. You’ll learn where to grow different palm species as well as how to pick the finest specimens for container gardening. Choosing the right palm species to match your landscape will benefit from additional information about dwarf, miniature, and baby palms.
Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
The areca palm tree’s arching green fronds and smooth green stems give it a tropical appearance wherever it may be. A clumping palm like the areca palm thrives in the sun outdoors, surrounded by summer blooms in clay pots. Areca palm trees may reach a height of 21 feet (6.5 meters) in a pot, but the pot’s size will restrict its growth. The butterfly palm, golden cane palm, and yellow palm are all names for the areca palm.
The bushy palm tree is a good shade tree, privacy palm tree, and privacy screen because of its shrub-like habit. Give it plenty of water and grow it in full sun to partial shade for best results. In USDA zones 10 – 11, potted areca palm trees are ideal for outdoor cultivation.
Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis)
The palm fronds of a potted Chinese fan palm resemble a spreading fan, hence the name. The dark green star-shaped palmate leaves are 3 to 6 feet (1.8 meters) across and range in length from 3 to 6 feet (1.8 meters). The Chinese palm plant, which grows to be about 10 feet (3 meters) tall in a pot, requires full sun to partial sun.
The magnificent canopy of the Chinese fan palm, with slightly drooping leaves that give it a fountain-like appearance, is unmistakable. Container growing is ideal for the multi-stemmed palm tree. It makes a stunning specimen plant for patio or decking planting.
It’s a versatile tree for most gardens because it’s cold-hardy and drought tolerant. USDA zones 9 through 11 are suitable. The list of exceptional palms for indoor cultivation includes the Chinese fan palm.
Cat Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
The cat palm is a small clumping palm tree with cascading dark green feathery fronds that may grow up to 3 feet (1 meter) from the ground. It’s a fantastic option for landscaping your yard. Cat palms are dense foliage-producing clump of palm bushes. In a container outside, a cat palm may stretch to 6.5 feet (2 meters).
Potted cat palm trees should be placed in dappled shade, ensuring that the potting substrate is moist. To keep its pinnate fronds of long leaflets dark green and healthy, the cat palm needs frequent watering in full sun. USDA zones 9 through 11 are suitable.
Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
Because of its immediately identifiable bulbous trunk and brilliant green curling grassy leaves, the ponytail palm is a magnificent potted palm tree to have outdoors in containers. The palm tree has a unusual look in some cases because of the multiple thick stems that develop from the swollen base.
In USDA growing zones 8 to 12, ponytail palm trees require full sun to thrive and may reach a height of up to 6 feet (1.8 meters). Bottle palm or elephant’s foot palm are two terms for the ponytail palm. This is the level at which the trunk is engorged.
The ponytail palm is particularly drought tolerant because this portion of the tree retains moisture. In a semi-tropical garden, grow this painted palm to create a spectacular focal point.
Silver Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)
Silver saw palmetto is a spreading, low-growing palm tree with stiff, pointed leaflets that can be grown in a container outside. It’s called the saw palmetto palm because of the sharp spiny teeth on the clustering stems of the leaves. Palm leaves with spiky tips grow to be 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) long.
In Florida gardens, silver saw palmetto palm is a suitable container plant. Green leaves develop a silvery sheen in coastal regions. Furthermore, the palm tree is appropriate for growing along the coast because of its tolerance to sunlight, humidity, and salty air. USDA zones 8 through 11 are suitable for this plant.
Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
In warm regions, the parlor palm is one of the most popular palm trees to cultivate in a pot. It has multiple slender green trunks, pinnate green leaves, and tiny yellow or orange-red flowers. A parlor palm tree may grow to be 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall if grown in pots outdoors.
The fronds of the palm, which grow on 5 ft. (1.5 m) tall stems, are up to 8 inches (24 cm) long. In USDA zones 10 to 12, parlor palms may be grown. On patios, decking areas, and around outdoor pools, attractive container plants offer shade. For the best results, position the potted palm tree in a dappled or shaded area.
Majestic Palm (Ravenea rivularis)
In a tropical or semi-tropical environment, the magnificent palm is a tall outdoor potted plant that thrives on humidity. The tree’s majestic appearance adds to the beauty of the environment and is commonly referred to as the majesty palm. The long, arching fronds may grow up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length when grown in containers.
Majestic palm trees are tolerant of damp, moist conditions and are easy to grow. It’s best suited as a specimen plant in warm, humid environments in USDA zones 9 to 12 because of the potted palm’s widespread nature. It’s worth noting, though, that it doesn’t grow well in coastal areas.
Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
The bamboo palm is a subtropical palm tree with slender tubular canes that looks like a bamboo plant. It may be grown outdoors in USDA zones 10-12. Dense clusters of dark green fronds develop 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall on upright stems. The clumping bamboo palm plant grows in a pot and maintains a small stature.
Reed plant and parlor plant are two names for the same species, Chamaedorea seifrizii. Bamboo is a widespread hedge plant in Florida because of its growing nature and spreading habits. As a leafy container palm, the plant makes an excellent specimen or accent plant in a subtropical garden.
European Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis)
The European fan palm is a dwarf, shrub-like palm tree that suits many gardens because it has few trunks. The numerous trunks of the heat-loving, sun-loving palm are distinguishable for their shaggy look. The fan-shaped fronds grow up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length and are finely textured and silvery green. Only a few inches per year develop on the slow-growing palm.
The European fan palm is very cold-hardy, which makes it ideal for growing in a container outside. In temperate areas, this makes the potted palm a good choice for landscaping. The palm is likewise resistant to heat, drought, and wind. USDA zones 8 to 11 are suitable for this plant.
Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)
The lady palm is a bamboo-like multi-stem tree that may be cultivated in a pot outdoors. It has glossy green, fan-shaped leaves and grows on bamboo canes. The clump-forming container palm tree grows to heights of up to 13 feet (4 meters) and is easy to cultivate. The palm, on the other hand, takes years to grow as tall due to its sluggish development.
In USDA zones 9 through 11, potted lady palm trees may be seen growing outside. Garden landscapes are enhanced with the addition of strong woody canes and lush, leafy foliage. Because it can handle partial shade and full shade, the lady palm thrives in north-facing gardens. As an accent plant, foundation plant, or for adding evergreen greenery to a patio, use the potted palm
Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis)
The fishtail palm is an attractive tropical plant with masses of attractive feathery fronds that adds a unique decorative element to any outdoor space. The curious leaves of this palm tree, which are shaped like jagged fishtails, are the distinguishing characteristic.
These enormous leaves may reach a length of 10 feet (3 meters). In subtropical gardens, fishtail potted palm trees have a number of applications. They may be used as specimen plants, a privacy screen near a pool, or as a backdrop for tropical plantings. At the corner of a house, the tall leafy palm trees provide an excellent accent. USDA zones 9b through 11 are ideal for growing outdoors.
Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana)
Due to its upright, elegant appearance, the kentia palm is a hardy and easy-to-care-for plant. Furthermore, the dark green pinnate feathery leaves of the single-stemmed palm grow up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) long. Despite the fact that it can grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) in a garden, a container palm tree will be smaller.
In a shaded spot, you may grow a potted kentia palm on your patio or deck. Any landscape is given a tropical edge by the dark green elegant crown. The kentia palm tree is likewise cold-hardy and can endure brief freezing temperature episodes outdoors in zones 9b–11 since it is cold-hardy.
Sentry Palm (Howea belmoreana)
The sentry palm tree is an attractive plant with a short ringed stem, arching fronds, and a rounded crown. It should be kept in a little pot to limit its expansion. The sentry palm grows upright rather than drooping when compared to the related kentia palm.
A potted palm takes longer to grow and is not as tall as the sentry palm, which grows up to 33 feet (10 meters) in the soil. USDA zones 9b through 11 are suitable for growing outdoors.
Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)
When grown in containers, a potted pygmy date palm requires little space. The feathery fronds of this popular decorative palm tree, which grow 3 to 4 feet (1.2 to 1.2 meters) long, have a slender habit. The stems droop and arch, giving the plant a gorgeous crown of prickly green leaves. The fruit-bearing palm grows to be approximately 6.5 feet (2 meters) in height as a potted palm plant.
A specimen container plant, shade palm, or to decorate an entryway are examples of suitable landscape applications for the pygmy date palm. The USDA zones 10 and 11 allow for the cultivation of the little, delicate potted pygmy palm plant, which thrives in partial sun with a little shade at lunchtime.
Lipstick Palm (Cyrtostachys renda)
The lipstick palm is a compact palm tree that can be maintained in containers and features crimson stems and crown shafts. Upward arching green fronds of pinnate leaves, as well as tiny black palm fruits, are produced by the slender green and red trunks. The tiny to medium-sized palm grows to a height of 13 to 26 feet (4–8 meters) in cultivation. The brightly colored shafts and stems of lipstick palms earned them the name.
Red sealing wax palm, Rajah wax palm, and red candle wax plant are some other names for this exotic palm tree. The lipstick palm is difficult to cultivate in gardens, despite its popularity as a desired potted palm for landscapes. Heat, drought, salt, and strong winds are all incompatible with tropical palms. Also, it will perish at temperatures below 50°F (10°C) because it is cold-sensitive. USDA zones 10 and 11 are ideal for growing the lovely palm.
Bismarck Palm (Bismarckia nobilis)
A young Bismarck tree can be seen in the photograph. Due to its stunning thick trunk and steely-blue fan-shaped fronds, the Bismarck palm tree is cold sensitive. The silver Bismarck leaves grow to be 4 feet (1.2 meters) broad, making them a dramatic element in the environment. The silvery palm will reach a height of 40 feet (12 meters) and a width of 10 feet (3 meters) in the future. USDA growing zones 10 and 11 are good for the heat- loving palm.
Bismarck palm trees will flourish in a pot for many years as a potted palm tree. As a spectacular specimen container plant, the best and probably only landscape use is. The palm tree’s enormous girth, on the other hand, warns that it will outgrow its pot within a few years.
How to Care for Potted Palm Tree
Choose a location with the proper sun exposure to successfully grow a potted palm in a garden landscape. A loamy, well-draining potting soil that is regularly wet with frequent watering should be used to grow the palm tree. In the springtime, apply a slow-release fertilizer to keep your palm palms healthy.
How Often Should You Water Potted Palm Tree
When the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, water a potted palm tree outdoors. During hot weather, watering the palm tree every two or three days is recommended, while watering it less in the winter is preferred. The potting palm soil combination should ideally be kept saturated but not soggy at all times.
Poke your finger an inch (2.5 cm) into the soil to determine when to water the potted palm tree. Wait a day or two after feeling slightly moist in the soil before testing it again. alternatively, you can determine how often to water a potted palm tree by using a soil moisture monitoring system.
When should you water a palm tree in a pot? Morning or evening are the best times to water a container palm tree. There is less chance of leaf burn when the sun isn’t too strong or hot. Potted palm trees need watering more often than ground-growing palm trees.
The Best Potting Soil for Outdoor Palm Trees Growing in Containers
A tiny palm in a pot should be grown in a container using the optimum potting substrate of light, loamy, and well-drained. Half peat moss and half coarse sand or perlite are used to make a basic potting soil for palms. Succulent and cacti pots can alternatively be purchased in bulk from a commercial supplier.