Golden Cane and Dypsis Palms

How to choose a golden cane or Dypsis palm

Start with the job. The Golden Cane Palm forms a clump of many slender canes, usually four to six metres tall in gardens, and is the one to plant for privacy around pools, fences and courtyards. The Blue Cane Palm also clumps, with fewer, thicker canes ringed like bamboo, and makes a more open, architectural group.

The others are grown as single trunk features. The Triangle Palm carries its grey green fronds in three distinct ranks, giving the crown a triangular outline, and it handles drier conditions than most of the group. The Teddy Bear Palm has a crownshaft covered in soft rusty brown fur above a pale ringed trunk. The Redneck Palm is similar in its reddish crownshaft but grows into a taller, stouter palm. The rarer Madagascan species in the range are collector palms for warm, sheltered gardens.

Where golden cane palms grow

These are palms for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. Golden cane grows well along the east coast from far north Queensland to Sydney and in frost free spots further south, and in Perth with summer water. It takes full sun to part shade, with greener fronds in shade and more yellow in full sun. Frost burns the fronds, so in cooler districts keep it against a warm wall or in a pot that can be moved under cover.

The triangle palm prefers full sun and good drainage and tolerates dry spells once established. Teddy bear and redneck palms like warmth, moisture and shelter from cold wind. Golden cane is also a reliable indoor palm in a bright room. For other options see the wider range of palm trees, the plants for poolside gardens and our tropical plants.

Planting and spacing

Plant into well drained soil improved with compost, and water in. For a screen, space golden canes about one to one and a half metres apart. The clumps widen with age, so closer planting is not needed. Give single trunk palms room to show their shape, at least three metres from walls and other trees. Mulch well, keeping the mulch clear of the stems. In pots, use a quality potting mix and a container with generous drainage holes.

Care basics

Water deeply and regularly through the first two summers. Established golden canes survive dry periods but look thin and yellow without water in the growing season. Feed in spring and again in summer with a slow release palm fertiliser. Yellowing fronds usually mean hunger or dryness, not disease. Remove whole dead fronds and spent flower stalks at the base, and thin out a few of the oldest canes if you want a lighter, more open clump. Never cut the top off a cane, because it will not reshoot from the cut. Our golden cane palm care guide covers feeding and screening in more detail.

Common questions

How tall do golden cane palms grow?

Usually four to six metres in gardens, and sometimes taller in the tropics. In pots they stay much smaller.

How far apart should I plant golden canes for a screen?

About one to one and a half metres apart. The clumps thicken from the base and close the gaps over a few years.

Can golden cane palms grow indoors?

Yes, in bright indirect light with the potting mix kept lightly moist. Move the pot outside to a shaded spot now and then to refresh the plant.

Do golden cane palms tolerate frost?

No. Fronds are damaged by frost, so in cooler areas grow them in a sheltered, frost free position.