Front yard landscaping with palm trees is simple and brings a tropical vibe to your yard. The leafy appearance of the palm trees makes your yard look like a paradise by offering shade and a striking focal point.

Landscaping Ideas with Palm Trees

You can consider mixing your palm trees with other woody plants, thereby aiding a unique aesthetic landscape design. For more methods, read this guide.

Remarkable Front Yard Landscaping With Palm Tree Techniques

1. Framing Your Home or Entryway Style

Entryway Palm Tree

Types of palm used
  • Phoenix canariencis
  • Foxtail palm
  • Queens palm
How it looks like
  • The palm trees should appear on both sides of the front of your house.
  • There is an uneven number of palm trees which makes the style less formal.
  • Involves both the styles that are used in formal and informal landscapes such as symmetric and asymmetric arrangements.
Advantages
  • Phoenix roebelenii on both sides of the front yard beautify your home by creating a formal look
  • Provides shade at your home, as is the case when you use foxtail palms (Wodyetia bifurcuta)
Special care needs
  • Require more sunlight and can tolerate cold temperatures as well as snow for short time
  • Remove the diseased fronds
  • Fertilizers should be applied in early spring and late winter.

Foxtail and queens palms are some of the best palm trees in landscaping that you can use when designing your entryway or pool.

Species like Wodyetia buficurta are single-trunked and are used when you want to attract attention to the swimming pools and entryways. The rule of thumb is that you should consider placing palms that attract the attention of any pair of eyes.

2. More Shade Creation Style

Palm Tree Shade

Types of palm used
    • Mediterranean fan palm
  • Mexican fan
How it looks like
  • The trees provide more shade but they do not block the view of the windows.
Advantages
  • Provide a tropical feel to your home
  • Creates an amazing focal point
Special care needs
  • Requires efficient light
  • Requires watering occasionally
  • You can also apply mulch.

Those tropical landscape palm trees that provide efficient shade are called “canopy palms.” Varieties such as the foxtail palm trees grow tall up to approximately 20 feet.

You can add extra shade by placing lower shrubs to aid a denser yard that brings a fine touch to your front yard. You can also use the European fan palm but be aware of the fact that this one requires more water.

3. Filling Empty Spaces of the Front Yard With Small Palms

Filling Empty Spaces with Small Palms

Types of palm used
  • Queen palms
  • Christmas palms
  • Waxy palm
How it looks like
  • Use small perfect palm trees to fill empty spaces in your front yard
  • Use queen palms and Christmas palms on opposite sides.
Advantages
  • Various palm trees on the front of your home bring aesthetic color and texture
  • Provide shade
  • Less maintenance is required
Special care needs
  • Require more sunlight
  • Trimming the palm plants is required.

This is one of the best landscaping ideas. A space should be filled with palm trees to fulfill a good tropical landscape. However, it is good for you to know the best trees for the front yard.

The empty spaces should be filled to bring your preferred personality to your front yard. A landscaper can help you with the type of palms you should use to come up with a desired appearance.

4. Creating a Focal Point Style

Focal Point Style Palm Tree

Types of palm used
  • Veichia merillii
  • Dypsis lutescenes
How it looks like
  • Use large palms that have a dramatic effect like bailey palms and blue latan, or spindle for small spaces
  • You should try to pay attention to the palm trees and make them look like they are emerging from the same root zone.
  • The focal point is the center of attraction where your eyes run to when you look at that landscape.
Advantages
  • Brings a less formal vibe to your front yard
  • Focal point beautifies your front yard and provides a welcoming vibe to your home.
Special care needs
  • Provide the palm varieties with relevant care needs
  • Note that needs may vary so proper companion planting is necessary

When selecting palm trees to create an accent, you can consider choosing those with colorful flowers and those that are capable of producing a dramatic effect. Palms like the Christmas one provide an excellent focal point.

5. Create Different Forms by Mixing Palms With Boxwood

Mixing Palms With Boxwood

Types of palm used
  • Pygmy date palms
  • Chinese fan palm
How it looks like
  • Add color and show various features by incorporating boxwood and other tropical plants.
  • Provides flair to your landscape if you mix fan-shaped palms with feather-shaped ones
Advantages
  • Provides plenty of shade
  • Different shapes complement the palm trees
  • Other plants that are placed may not require watering
Special care needs
  • Less maintenance is required
  • Less or no fertilizer is best but more sunlight is required
  • Minimum watering is required

Palm trees like the Trachycarpus fortune provide a tropical feel and boxwood adds a formal look to your front yard, thereby allowing you to put various shapes.

This is one of the landscaping designs that involves a combination of large feather and fan palms that produces a great visual interest. An amazing combination may include the group of princess palms and a small ruffled fan underneath.

6. Mixing the Tropical Plants With Palm Trees to Aid Color and Texture

Tropical Palm Trees

Types of palm used
  • Tropical plants
  • Phoenix robelenii
How it looks like
  • Mix tropical plants with palm trees
  • Use woody and herbaceous plants to complement and contrast palm trees
  • Can be modified to create a focal point as well
Advantages
  • Require minimal maintenance
  • Little or no fertilizer is required
  • More sunlight and moderate moisture is needed
Special care needs
  • Provide the palm varieties with relevant care needs
  • Note that needs may vary so proper companion planting is necessary

A tropical landscape that contains palm trees only is interesting but it is a good idea to combine them with other plants. More herbaceous and ornamental plants add more texture and color.

Regardless of the style you consider, many plants usually pair with palm trees very well. Some such plants include tropical hibiscus, golden shrimp, Asparagus fern, Asiatic jasmine, and bromeliads.

7. Creating a Privacy Screening Style

Creating a Privacy Screening with Palm

Types of palm used
  • Lady palm
  • Windmill palm
How it looks like
  • Use several palm trees to obtain a great combination
  • The trees should have a blocking effect that enhances privacy
Advantages
  • Provide privacy in your yard
  • Less or minimum water requirements
  • Require moderate sunlight
Special care needs
  • Provide the palm varieties with relevant care needs
  • Note that needs may vary so proper companion planting is necessary

Some of the palm trees can be used to create privacy screens. One of the most used palm trees is the lipstick palm.

The best types of palm trees you can consider in this style include those that have multiple trunks. You can mix the species in this style to obtain a casual appearance.

8. Planting in Containers

Planting Palm in Containers

Types of palm used
  • Butia capitata
  • Chameros humilis
How it looks like
  • Palm trees are grown in pots that have the appropriate soil needs
  • You can use pots whose color slightly contrasts with that of the trunk and leaves of the tree
  • Place the pots where they will make the desired “statement”
Advantages
  • Conserve water
  • Makes them easier to relocate while small
Special care needs
  • Water the palm trees when pots are becoming dry
  • Use mulching
  • Note the temperature, moisture and light required on the species.

When planting palms in pots, take those that have a slow growth rate because fast-growing ones may quickly outgrow your containers. Rhapis excels is one example of palms that can be potted.

Repot your plants after three or four years. If your plants are big enough to the extent that you cannot repot them, transfer them into the ground.

9. Mixing Palm Plants With Other Plants

Palm Tree with Other Plants

Types of palm used
  • Needle palm
  • Other varieties are not really suitable
How it looks like
  • Mixing other plants with the palm trees on the front of your home displays a more natural design that depicts their native habitat.
  • Ornamental grasses such as fakahtche can be used
  • The use of colorful trees in combination with palm trees may contribute to a great visual interest in your yard.
Advantages
  • Provides interaction of different species in the landscape
  • Some plants require less maintenance.
  • Beautify your front yard
Special care needs
  • Provide the palm varieties with relevant care needs
  • Note that needs may vary so proper companion planting is necessary

You should consider using broad-leaved trees and shrubs to produce an aesthetic front yard. Some of the plants you can consider using include heliconias and gingers with flowers that provide the backdrop behind the palm.

You can choose some trees such as ferns, which can bring a soft touch to your front yard. Another method is palm tree landscape painting.

10. Shade the Pool in Your Front Yard

Shade the Pool in Front Yard

Types of palm used
  • Pindo palm
  • Pygmy date palms
How it looks like
  • Surround your pool with palm trees so that they provide shade
  • You can set up your chairs under the leafy palm trees and enjoy your front yard paradise
Advantages
  • Easy to maintain
  • Provides you with shade when you hop out from the pool
  • Creates an exotic outlook
Special care needs
  • Provide the palm varieties with relevant care needs
  • Note that needs may vary so proper companion planting is necessary

This style of designing your front yard is the best for pool lovers. After swimming in your pool, you might need to relax under the shade of these palm trees so that the sun will not burn your feet.

When you plant palm trees in this case, make sure you choose the ones that provide enough shade for you when you hop out of the pool.

11. Cooling off the Balcony Style

Balcony with Palm Trees

Types of palm used
  • Foxtail palms
  • Queen palm
How it looks like
  • Palm plants grow near the balcony
  • You can consider using tall or small trees
Advantages
  • Little or no maintenance is required
  • Lends a tropical feel to your home
Special care needs
  • Mulch can be applied
  • Require occasional watering

If you decide to cool off your balcony, it is good to seek help from a professional landscaper. The landscaper will assist by telling you the safest distance required between your home and the palm tree.

It is advisable that you focus on the path of the sun. However, the landscaper will provide information on the best pace you can grow your palm trees to provide efficient shade.

12. Accentuating With the Row of Palm Tree Style

Accentuating With the Row of Palm Tree

Types of palm used
  • Canary islands date palms
  • Alexander palms
  • Foxtail palms
How it looks like
  • The palm trees should be planted in a flattering row so as to resemble your favorite landscape features
  • The palm tree can line your swimming pool to show a pleasing appearance to swimmers
Advantages
  • Less or no fertilizer is required to maintain the palm trees
  • Creates a stunning visual display
Special care needs
  • Provide the palm varieties with relevant care needs
  • Note that needs may vary so proper companion planting is necessary

Consider using palm trees that do not divert the attention of people from the main attraction point. Trees like the areca palm are good examples of plants that you can use.

Conclusion

Now that you have gone through all the required techniques and landscaping strategies, you can decide if you want to bring a tropical feel to your front yard.

Let us go through some important things to note before you go:

  • All types of palm trees can be used to beautify your front yard as long as you know how to position them correctly.
  • Palm trees require less maintenance, though you will usually need mulch to conserve moisture
  • Care needs for palm trees include fertilizing, trimming, watering, and disease management.
  • Palm trees are mostly used to shade balconies and as a kind of fence around your front yard.
  • Some palms thrive in more sunlight such as coconut trees, while some, like the queen California fan, survive very well in cold temperatures.

Reading this guide provided you with as much information as possible with regard to landscaping using palm trees. Now, you can choose the types of palms you want and decorate your front yard!

References

  • https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
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