Queen Palm Tree Overview
DESCRIPTION | Queen palm is one of the most popular palms for commercial and home landscapes. This fast-growing palm is used to line streets or sidewalks or is often planted in clusters for fast structure and interest. Long, bright-green fronds give queen palm an elegant appearance year-round. Count on a queen palm to produce ornamental, bright orange dates in clusters during the winter months. |
GENUS NAME | Syagrus romanzoffiana |
COMMON NAME | Queen Palm Tree |
PLANT TYPE | Tree |
LIGHT | Sun |
HEIGHT | 20 to 20 feet |
WIDTH | 15 to 25 feet |
FOLIAGE COLOR | Blue/Green |
ZONES | 10, 11, 9 |
PROPAGATION | Seed |
How to Plant a Palm Tree
Median plantings, curbside planting strips, and petite planting areas near a deck or patio are all good places to plant queen palm. Pair queen palm with small and medium flowering and shade trees for a lush landscape. Great planting partners for queen palm include sweet acacia, spicewood, locust berry, floss silk tree, and fiddlewood.
Queen Palm Care
Queen palm grows best in full sun. It is well-suited for acidic, well-drained soil. When planted in alkaline soil it shows severe mineral deficiencies through stunted young leaves. Prolonged mineral shortage will kill the plant. Soil can be treated with mineral applications but the expense and effort are intense and must be maintained for the lifetime of the tree.
Queen palm fronds persist after they die and often require pruning to remove the dead fronds. When pruning, take care and try not to remove any live fronds. Pruning off too many fronds at one time can cause the palm to decline. Protect the trunk of queen palm to prevent diseases as the trunk is susceptible to decay and injury by lawn mowers or landscape equipment which can create an opening for various roots to take hold and kill the tree.