This fast-growing palm is one of the hardiest tropical-looking palms you could grow.
Queen palm is one of the most popular palms for commercial and home landscapes.
The palm has a single, smooth, gray trunk.
Long, bright green fronds give queen palm an elegant appearance year-round.
Count on a queen palm to produce ornamental, vibrant orange dates in clusters during the winter months.
This solitary palm (with a single trunk) can be planted as a specimen or in groups.
It is moderately salt-tolerant.
Planting a palm tree requires some extra steps after planting.
The preferred method isbracing your palm tree with 2x4 lumber and burlap.
Light
Queen palm grows best infull sunbut also tolerates partial shade.
When planted in alkaline soil it suffers severe mineral deficiencies which manifest themselves through stunted young leaves.
Prolonged mineral shortage can even kill the tree.
For that reason, it is not recommended to plant queen palm in soil that is not naturally suitable.
Watering is mostly required when the palm tree is young.
An established queen palm needs only moderate watering.
Temperature and Humidity
Queen palm is among the hardiest tropical-looking palms.
When pruning, try not to remove any live fronds.
Pruning off live fronds can cause the palm to decline.
Its size will be restrained by the confined space in which the roots can grow.
It should be made of a heavyweight material so it is less likely to topple over.
Remember that potted plants need more frequent watering and fertilizer than plants in the landscape.
Replant the palm to a larger pot when it becomes rootbound.
Potential fungal diseases include fusarium wilt and ganoderma butt rot.
How to Propagate Queen Palm
It is not unusual for queen palm to self-seed.
The heavy fruit clusters that the palm tree drops contain over a thousand seeds.
Queen palm can be propagated from half-ripe to fully ripe seeds.
Remove the pulp and soak the seeds in water for two days to soften the seed coat.
Plant several seeds in 4-inch pots filled with potting mix, as germination is erratic.
Keep the soil evenly moist.
The ideal germination temperature is between 90 and 95 degrees.
Even under ideal conditions, it takes six weeks to six months for the seeds to germinate.
It grows 20 feet tall and wide.
The tree is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Chile.
The flowers are inconspicuous but the berries attract many species of birds.
Zone 10-11
Locustberry
Byrsonima lucidais an evergreen shrub that is native to Florida.
In late winter to early summer, it has showy blooms that go from white to pink and crimson.
The flowers attract butterflies.
The shrub has a spreading growth habit, growing 5 to 15 feet tall.
Zone 10-11
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be messy from the falling fruit clusters.
Thats why gardeners often remove them at the same time as they are pruning the dead fronds.
