Redneck Palm

The Redneck Palm (Dypsis lastelliana) is named for the feature that sells it: a broad crownshaft covered in dense rusty red felt, under a head of arching green fronds. This Madagascan rarity grows slowly to around 8m tall and 3.5m wide over about fifteen years, staying in scale with a courtyard longer than most feature palms.

Why you'll love it

• The rusty red crownshaft. Few palms have anything like it, and on a young plant it sits at eye level.
• Slow and well behaved. It will not outgrow a courtyard or a pool surround.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats and dogs.
• Coastal conditions suit it. Salt, wind and humidity tolerant, so beachside and hinterland gardens both work.

Where it works best

Poolside. A single trunk, a tidy crown and no invasive root behaviour suit paving and pool shells. Fronds shed whole rather than as constant litter.

Feature planting. Position it where the crownshaft is seen from a window or an entry, and uplight it at night.

Coastal gardens and pots. It takes salt air on an exposed block, and its slow rate lets a large container hold it for years.

Growing the Redneck Palm in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun once established, with part shade for the first year or two. This is strictly a tropical and subtropical palm, frost tender enough that anything colder than a mild coastal winter damages it. Southern gardens should keep it as a protected container plant.

Soil. Rich, free draining soil with plenty of organic matter. Work compost through the backfill and mulch heavily, keeping mulch clear of the trunk. It will not tolerate waterlogged ground.

Water and feed. Water two to three times a week through the first two summers, then deeply once a week in dry weather. Feed a slow release palm fertiliser in early spring and mid summer. Palms are heavy feeders, and pale fronds mean hunger rather than disease.

Pruning. Remove fronds only once they are fully brown. Cutting green fronds to tidy the crown starves an already slow grower.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in a 400mm pot and in 160L. The 400mm plants are juvenile, a head of fronds without much visible trunk, and the crownshaft colour builds with maturity. The 160L palms are advanced.

Palms travel with fronds tied, and some tip burn after transit is normal rather than a fault. Expect a quiet first season while the roots take hold. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to palm varieties for Australian gardens
• Compare the full palm range
• Plants that suit a pool surround
• Browse plants that are safe around pets

Common questions

How fast does it grow?

Slowly, especially in the first two or three years while it builds roots. Around 8m over fifteen years is realistic in a garden, well short of its habitat height.

Will it grow in Sydney or Perth?

Only in genuinely frost free coastal pockets, and slower and less colourful there. It is at its best in Brisbane, the northern rivers, coastal Queensland and Darwin.

Is it safe near a pool?

Yes. A single trunk, contained roots and whole frond shedding keep pool maintenance reasonable.

When does the red crownshaft appear?

Once the palm starts forming visible trunk, which takes several years from a 400mm plant. Advanced 160L specimens usually show it already.