A Lady In Tropical Landscapes
Lady palms, or Rhapis excels present like a bush and not a palm tree.
They’re lush, dark green bushy appearance shows well in Southwest Florida landscapes for homes and commercial properties.
The climate in cities like; Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples is perfect for Lady palms.
Known as a “clumping palm”, Lady palms can offer several grand design options to any landscape designer’s plans. Fishtail Palms are another type of clumping palm that grows much taller than a Lady palm.
The bushy clumping nature of Lady palms are their defining assets.
Their deep green fronds, bushy shape and Asian looking texture are their most obvious qualities. For these same reasons, do-it-yourself homeowners as well as the professional landscaping community seek them out for projects.
You may not notice them immediately within a landscape, as they are usually applied as a secondary level that accents smaller plants within the landscape design.
Another common use is along a property line.
If privacy is the goal, then they will make a great hedge, because they can grow up to 10’ in overall height. There are so many thin trunks growing up from the base of this clumping palm, they can create a dense and full screen.
When Lady palms are grown in shade or limited light, the color of the bushy fronds will present as a rich dark green. Growing Lady palms in direct sun can be done, but we don’t often recommend direct sun for two reasons.
- The fronds will exhibit a light green hue as opposed to the plush dark green of a shade grown Lady palm. Your desired color is purely a personal choice.
- You’ll need to provide additional irrigation and fertilizers to keep your Lady palms lush and healthy.
- During the cooler winter season they may be more susceptible to wind burn when they are kept out in the direct sun with little or not protection.
Lastly, Lady palms thrive and can be kept indoors.
Typically atriums, large entryways and corporate office spaces utilize Lady palms. The climate-controlled atmosphere and lighting helps to keep them protected year round.
If you’d like to visit our nursery to see these tropical beauties we are open Monday thru Saturday.
Or, call us today at 239-336-9484 to talk with us about your plans and your options for delivery and installation.