Palms
Garden Center
Brisbane wouldn’t be Brisbane without palms!
Palms are the iconic plant of the tropics and subtropics. Despite going in and out of fashion in Queensland gardens, species such as Golden Cane, Foxtail, Queen, Majestic and Alexander Palms are a common sight. Palms bring a tropical feel to a garden, as well as providing shade and providing foliar interest year round.
Why plant palms?
Although lush and leafy in appearance, most palms are actually quite drought hardy. They are suitable for a range of applications, from indoor or patio, as a screen or as a stately garden specimen. Let’s look at how palms are a good choice for Brisbane gardens.
- Easy to grow; little maintenance or pruning required.
- Few pests and diseases; palms generally suffer few insect pests or plant diseases, and resist them well if kept healthy.
- Great for creating light shade; leaf canopy is less dense than other tree options.
- Strong lines, architectural forms; contrasts with other foliage.
- Creates an instant tropical look
- Drought hardy. Most look best with regular water but many can survive on natural rainfall alone
- Clumping palms are fantastic as a screening plant.
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Aren’t palms messy though?
Not necessarily. Some species shed a lot of debris, while others produce huge quantities of fruit. However, putting the right palm in the right place can make the mess a non-issue – the debris just becomes mulch. Regarding fruit and flower mess, a simple control is just to cut off the flower scape before it finishes developing. Reduces cleanup to about 10 minutes a year! If you’re still not convinced, come and talk to our team about the best palm options.
A shape for every garden
Palms aren’t all like the tropical island cliché. They can be wide, narrow, clumping, bushy and with a whole range of leaf shapes. They come in a surprisingly varied colour pallette too, from deep green through to silver and even red. Oxley Nursery also has a great range of variegated Rhapis, a sought-after palm with striking green and yellow striped foliage that you won’t find anywhere else.
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