Bismarck Palm

Bismarckia nobilis

Synonyms: Bismark Palm.

Bismarck Palms are one of the most sought-after and spectacular landscaping palms. If you’re looking for a feature palm you’d be hard pressed to find something more impressive than one of these! Another Madagascan beauty, this palm is very large growing plant suitable for big backyards, commercial plantings, acreage or parks. They come in two colour forms – green and silver (blue) – with the silver being by far the most commonly cultivated.

When mature, this palm is seriously impressive. However, they aren’t for everyone. They take up a lot of space, particularly when they’re young and the leaves are close to the ground. Expect a footprint of around 4x4m!! Once they are bigger, the leaves will be high in the sky and above other plants, but the trunk is large and the root system may cause problems around buildings or other structures. They are for the most part, unsuitable for pots. They’ll outgrow smaller containers rapidly, and often will escape out the bottom and root into the ground if left too long. They resent root disturbance, so digging them out or breaking them out of a pot may shock them or kill them. So if you have the space for one of these beauties, read on! If not, consider a more manageable fan palm such as Hawaiian Fan Palm or a Livistona species.

Caring for Bismarck Palms is very easy. They cope well with just about everything Brisbane’s climate can throw at them, including our hot summers and single-digit winter temperatures. They suffer from very few pest and disease issues. However, they are heavy feeders, so make sure you fertilize regularly. As mentioned above, they cannot handle root disturbance. Do not let them root into the ground or break out of their pots.

Bismarck Palms don’t need much water once established, making them suitable for xeric (dry) gardens. They’d look fantastic among cacti and succulents.