Low Growing Palm Trees
Small palm trees that grow up from a single trunk are excellent for front yard garden beds because they have such small root balls. You can plant small palm trees close to your house and avoid the damage to your foundation another tree’s roots might cause, while adding an interesting extra level of height to your landscape. So what are some short height palm trees? The following palms all reach heights under 12 feet (3.6 m.) at maturity:
Pygmy Date Palm Bottle Palm Sago Palm Spindle Palm Parlor Palm
Palms that grow between 15 and 25 feet (4.5-7.5 m.) include:
Christmas Palm Pindo or Jelly Palm Florida Thatch Palm
Bushy Types of Palm Trees
Many palm trees feature underground trunks or low-to-the-ground clustering branches that give them the appearance of a bush and make them excellent ground cover or property dividers.
The Serenoa repens palm has a trunk that grows horizontally with dense leaves that give it a bush-like appearance. It usually reaches heights of 6 feet (1.8 m.). The Sabal minor grows in the same way but gets no taller than 5 feet (1.5 m.). The Chinese needle and dwarf palmetto are both short, slow-growing groundcover palms with fanning leaves. Coontie palms reach only 3-5 feet (0.9-1.5 m.) in height and take on the appearance of small, manageable bushes. The Cardboard Palm is a close relative with many small, broad leaves and a nearly unnoticeable trunk.
Now that you know a little more about low growing palm trees, take advantage of their short features and add one or two to your landscape.