Big and proud

YOU CANNOT DRIVE A LARGE DISTANCE in southwest Florida and not see a palm tree. Native varieties like Royal, Sabal, Thatch, and Foxtail quite often grow naturally or as part of a landscaping plan.

But there are many other options with different heights, frond shapes and colors.

More than 2,500 species of palm grow worldwide, and about 200 thrive here, says Darryl Windham, horticultural director of the Naples Zoo in Caribbean Gardens, where nearly 175 species of palm grow.

Mr. Windham, whose colleagues refer to him as a “palm guru,” says palm trees range from shrubs that are just a few meters high to the Andean wax palm that can grow up to 60 meters. He adds that palms can be found on six continents because they are very adaptable to different types of soil.

In southwest Florida, palm trees symbolize the tropical landscape and are abundant as they are fairly easy to grow here.

To help homeowners, landscapers, and landscape architects learn about different varieties, the Naples Zoo recently planted 15 different storm-resistant species in its parking lot along the zoo’s new entrance.

PHOTOS BY DARRYL WINDHAM

It’s kind of a demonstration garden.

“We want to show that trees other than Royals, Foxtail and Sabal do well here,” says Windham.

His favorite is the Copernicia Bailey, which he calls “one of the most spectacular palm trees ever”. He describes the tall tree as a fan palm with the trunk of a king who has about 30 leaves on his crown. “The first time I went to Fairchild (Tropical Botanic Garden) and saw a fully ripe specimen, I was just in love,” he shares.

He calls the satake palm from the Ryukyu Islands in Japan a second favorite, describing it as graceful and colorful, with leaves that adhere to the trunk in a dark purple or burgundy hue. It’s a sturdy tree; Mr. Windham has a few in his garden and only lost one frond during Hurricane Irma.

Some others in the new exhibit include feather duster, tri-bear, plateau coconut, Hispaniola silver straw, and African palmyra palm.

Palm trees around the zoo

When Mr Windham started at the Naples Zoo in 2015, there were around 25 species of palm on the property, including a Solitaire palm and an Alexander palm that he believes were Dr. Henry Nehrling planted when he created the original garden on the site.

Mr Windham has added about 150 species of palms and 300 plants in total, both in and near animal exhibits, to mimic their natural habitat. There is educational signage above the trees.

“I try to stay away from planting some of the more unique things in animal shows because the animals love to love their exhibits to death,” he laughs.

He placed palm trees from Southeast Asia around the tiger exhibition, from Indonesia around the python exhibition and from Madagascar around the fosa and lemur exhibition.

Good landscaping palm trees

Copernicia baileyana PHOTO BY DARRYL WINDHAM

Mr. Windham likes foxtails and calls them “a beautiful landscaped tree that can’t be beat for its looks”. However, he warns that they need fertilizer and should be adequately watered.

He wishes more people would plant the Florida silver palm, even though it is slow growing so many nurseries do not carry it.

He also likes the Copernicia palm, which is native to South America and the Caribbean, where the soils are similar to our area and the trees have adapted to hurricanes.

Carpoxylon, an endangered species from Vanuatu, is grown here. “It has a really unique look,” he says. “The structure of the leaf makes it a very pretty, stately tree.”

Mr. Windham says some people moving to Florida from northern climates don’t want palm trees because they don’t cast a lot of shade. He recommends planting several palm trees together to achieve this effect.

He says one should remember that not all palm trees are green. The bright silver of the Bismarck stands out against dark backgrounds, while the red spear of the flamethrower palm adds a splash of color. The green trunk of the sealing wax palm is complemented by an equally bright red crown shaft. A variety of straw and trunk patterns make a landscape interesting.

A betel nut palm at the tiger exhibition. PHOTOS WITH KINDNESS

Palm trees can also thrive indoors. Mr. Windham likes Chamaedorea, more than 100 species from Mexico and Central America, because they can tolerate a range of moisture and light.

The Kentia palm, which is native to Lord Howe Island off Australia, also tolerates poor light and low humidity and is forgiving if you miss a few waterings.

Where to buy

Mr. Windham recommends visiting local nurseries such as the Driftwood Garden Center and the Golden Gate Nursery first to see what they have on offer and also to ask if they can order a particular type of tree.

And he says Botanics Wholesale Nursey in Homestead is a great resource for landscapers. “They have a lot of great products and they are some of the best-bred plants you can get,” he says.

Palm trees in the landscape of the Zoo of Naples: in the background the larger Hydriastele dransfieldii with Licuala grandis in the foreground.

For more than 30 years he has been shopping at Searle Brothers Nursery & Rainforest Collection, which often participates in plant sales in southwest Florida. “Jeff Searle has everything from entry-level palms to hard-to-find species,” he says.

Premier Growers on Pine Island is another great resource, he adds.

And while he’s not a fan of buying plants online because he sometimes thinks the plants aren’t really what they’re being advertised, he supports Floribunda Palms and Exotics, which have been in business for about 45 years. “He has probably one of the largest private collections of palm trees and sells many of the seeds that his trees produce,” he says.

Planting and care

The best time to plant a palm in southwest Florida is from April to mid-September, says Mr Windham. “Temperatures have risen, and palm trees like high temperatures and high humidity,” he says, adding that daily rainfall at this time of year also helps plants establish themselves.

If plants are introduced at other times, he warns, a cold snap can shake a palm so badly that it won’t recover or take a long time to reestablish itself.

Mr Windham recommends contacting the local UF expansion office for advice on the best fertilizer for a palm, depending on where it will be planted. Collier County is big, and places near the coast have different conditions than inland, he explains. |