Taking Root Seasonal gardening advice

Are you ready to try growing small accent palm trees for your home?
South Florida nurseries offer an abundance of palms to choose from.
Knowing what kind of plant will be an easy-to-care-for accent to your property may not be an easy task.
Here are two recommendations that will add a tropical yet
majestic
look to any home.
The Spindle Palm (Hyophorbe
verschaffeltii) shown in the photo above, loves sunny spots, needs little water and has a high tolerance for salt, drought and cold temperatures.
Spindles typically grow slowly, to about 20 feet high.
They are low maintenance and do not have troubles with insects.
If you fertilize them occasionally, they will thrive.
Spindle palms work well as an anchor for a garden bed, to line a driveway or as an architectural feature if you plant them in a row.
The Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) is appropriately named for its uniquely shaped trunk, shown in the photo below.
It is an outstanding accent palm for tropical gardens.
With its size, growing to only 5 to 7 feet, it will make a striking appearance in your landscape.

The Bottle palm is moderately drought-tolerant once it is established.
But be forewarned: It does not like sitting in water.
Full sun to partial shade works well for this tree, which is highly tolerant of salt.
A slow-release fertilizer is recommended.
The Bottle palm works well as a specimen for a small-to-large garden bed.
It is also a fine
addition when planted in a container and placed on a sunny patio, or in the center of a circular driveway.

Photos by Steve Poulson.