Miami is an exotic destination known for its tropical beauty, colorful Latin culture, and sizzling nightlife. And the symbol of this South Florida paradise is undoubtedly the majestic palm tree. They are everywhere, and they make any home, park or business more alluring. But the key to achieving a smart, tropical vibe at home is knowing how to landscape with palm trees in Miami.
They provide shade
Tall palm trees with leafy tops shade lower-growing plants that don’t like full sun, such as certain flowers, shrubs, and smaller palm trees.
Some of the palms with broad canopies that provide good shade include:
- The Canary Island date palm
- Coconut palm
- Mexican fan palm
- Sabal/cabbage palm
- European fan palm
- Sago palm
- Sylvester palm
They add color to the yard
Palms aren’t all built alike. Some sprout brilliant flowers that bloom throughout summer and complement other native Florida plants such as the lantana and blue daze. With their bright yellow, pink, red, white, and lavender flowers, colorful trunks, and weeping fronds, these serve as magnificent focal points in many yards and gardens.
Some of the palms that boast bright colors include:
- Red Latin palm
- Mexican blue palm
- Lipstick palm
- Saw palmetto
Palm trees offer privacy
Another way to landscape with palm trees is to create a privacy hedge on property borders or around pools.
Because slow-growing palms feature multiple trunks and bushy fluffy fronds, they are well suited for privacy. You can also mix palm trees with other plants to achieve a more dense privacy screen with a casual appearance.
Some of the palm trees with bushy fronds that can help provide privacy in your South Florida yard are:
- Seashore palm
- Needle palm
- Lady palm
- Areca palm
- Lipstick palm
- Cat palm
- Fishtail palm
- Pigmy date palm
They improve walkways and driveways
Using palm trees to frame walkways and doorways can add elegance or grandeur to most homes. Tall, medium-sized, and small palm trees can help create a lush canopy and add a tropical vibe to your walkways.
Some of the palms that accentuate the walkways and entry points are:
- Queen palm
- Foxtail palm
- Pygmy date palms
- Coconut palm
- Mexican fan palm
- Date palm
- Pindo palm
- Canary Island date palm
- Sabal palm
Palm trees highlight flower beds
Palm trees planted with lantana, blue daze (drought-tolerant), and other shrubs can highlight the flower bed when planted on corners or some spots.
The flowers produced by these plants provide a colorful backdrop for the bright green fronds of the palm tree. A flowering palm gives your flower bed a tropical feeling and draws attention.
Palm trees will also shade flowers that don’t like full sun.
There are a number of palms that can add zip to your Miami flower bed. Lawn Love has a terrific guide on how to choose palms, but here are some of our recommendations:
- The cat palm
- Majesty palm
- Bamboo palm
- Coontie palm
- Pigmy date palm
They frame a pool area
Palm trees can transform your pool or beach area into a magnificent paradise with a natural tropical spice.
Because of their feathery appearance, the spreading palm fronds create a beautiful, green canopy. Palm trees also cast a dappled shadow that will help block the direct sun from your pool or patio, and the swaying palm leaves create specks of light dancing across the pool area, creating a cool effect.
The types of palm trees suitable for framing a pool area are:
- Sabal palmetto
- Royal palm
- Coco’s palm
- King palm
- Buccaneer palm
- European fan palm
- Sago palm
Palm trees stand alone beautifully
When planted in groups of twos or threes, palm trees arch in different directions, creating a burst of life and color in the middle of a yard.
Planted alone, they still create great focal points because of their long, slender trunks and weeping canopies.
Some palms suitable as standalone features are:
- Mexican palm
- Christmas palm
- Foxtail palm
- Queen palms
FAQ
A: Lantana, white bird of paradise, banana plant, blue daze, ginger, cycads, herbaceous, and elephant ear. It can be grown together with palm trees to make a beautiful landscape.
A. Look for palms that thrive in salty conditions, are drought-tolerant, do well in full sun and can withstand strong winds.
Need help?
If you need help with landscaping, particularly with palm trees, our Lawn Love lawn care professionals are here to help.
Main photo credit: Mariakray | iStock
