Palms for the Water Garden
| The Plant Profiles that follow give a brief introduction to some of the most important and popular palms for planting in wet or swampy areas, as well as for decoration at the waterside. Palms are an important feature in tropical and sub-tropical gardens, and associate well with water features of all kinds. The majority of the species described here require permanently moist to very wet soil, although a number will tolerate periodic inundation.
|
 Palms associate well with tropical and sub-tropical water features.
|
 A number of palm species are tall and add greatly to the water garden.
|
There are a number of species which are most attractive for pond-side and general waterside planting, but require ordinary garden soil rather than swampy conditions. There are also some that benefit from container cultivation and are most appropriate for the surroundings of a formal water feature. When selecting palms for growing in containers, choose species that have a good visual association with water.
|
| Preferably those that remain reasonably compact and do not endeavour to push skywards at the earliest opportunity. Of all the palms for waterside association, the most startling is the Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda. With its bright red stems, it is a wonderful addition to any tropical garden and a lover of permanently wet conditions. An excellent companion for the modest, but versatile MacArthur Palm, Ptychosperma macarthurii, which will grow in just well-watered natural soil as well as wet conditions. The Raffia Palm, Raphia farinifera, is a fascinating species and the commercial source of raffia. It requires plenty of space, producing huge feather-like leaves from short 3m high trunks, and enjoys wet boggy soil.
|
 The Sealing Wax Palm
Cyrtostachys renda
|
 Archontophoenix require constantly moist soil.
|
The Archontophoenix species are widely planted in gardens and prosper in permanently damp soil. These include the Bangalow Palm, A.cunninghamiana, and Alexandra Palm, A.alexandrae, both impressive palms for either focal planting or tasteful grouping. Like a number of other moisture-loving and swamp-dwelling species, these are tolerant of ordinary garden conditions if kept well-watered, but are happiest when established in naturally damp soil. The various Phoenix or Date Palm species are invaluable for waterside planting. The Mangrove Date Palm, P.paludosus, living happily in soil saturated with freshwater in the garden, as well as in the brackish conditions of its natural habitat. Phoenix dactylifera is the original Date Palm and has a long association with water, although not saturated soil.
|
|
America 
Australia 
Canada 
Europe 
International 
New Zealand 
South Africa 
United Kingdom 
