Other Names:  Bibby Tree, syn. Sabal beccariana, Sabal princeps

Description:

This robust, stocky palm makes a perfect tropical screen or landscape accent; tolerates drought and adapts to a wide variety of soils; quite resistant to frost once established; plants will flower and bear edible fruit

Ornamental Features

Bermuda Palmetto features showy panicles of creamy white flowers held atop the branches from mid to late winter. It has attractive bluish-green foliage with hints of silver. The fan-shaped palmate leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy dark brown drupes displayed from late summer to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Bermuda Palmetto is an evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a towering form, with a high canopy of foliage concentrated at the top of the plant. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bermuda Palmetto is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bermuda Palmetto will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America..

Bermuda Palmetto is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.