Elegant Palm

The elegant palm (Cyphophoenix elegans) is a slender single trunked palm from New Caledonia, and one of the tidiest feature palms you can plant near a pool. It reaches around 6m tall and 3m across over ten to fifteen years, holding a compact crown of arching fronds on a smooth ringed trunk. Growth is slow, so it stays in scale with a courtyard for a very long time.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and narrow by nature. A 3m crown on a 6m trunk gives height in a courtyard or against a wall without shading out the whole garden.
• Slow growth is the point. It takes a decade or more to reach full height, so a mature specimen stays proportioned to its space.
• Almost nothing to do. Old fronds shed cleanly from the trunk, so there is no annual climb with a pruning saw and no ragged collar of dead leaves.
• It stands up to wind. An island palm by origin, so exposed balconies and coastal courtyards do not shred the fronds.

Where it works best

Poolside. The clean trunk and self shedding habit mean far less leaf litter in the water than a clumping palm produces.

Feature planting. A single specimen in a lawn or entry bed carries the whole composition, and a matched pair either side of a doorway reads as deliberate architecture.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A pot 600mm or wider will hold it for many years given the slow growth, though potted palms dry out fast and need consistent summer watering.

Growing the elegant palm in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with young plants preferring some shade for their first year or two. This is a palm for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It is frost tender, so cold inland and southern gardens need it in a pot that can move under cover.

Soil. Well drained and rich, with compost worked through the backfill. It will not tolerate sitting in water, so raise the planting position on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone consistently moist through the first two summers, then water deeply in dry spells rather than lightly and often. A controlled release palm fertiliser in spring and late summer prevents the yellowing caused by magnesium and potassium shortage.

Pruning. Only cut fronds that have gone fully brown, and never trim green fronds to tidy the crown, because a slow growing palm cannot replace them quickly.

What to expect when it arrives

This palm is supplied in a 110 litre container, an advanced plant with a formed trunk and a full crown rather than a juvenile. It works as a feature from the day it is planted, which matters with a species this slow to gain height.

Fronds are strapped for transport and may show a bend or split at the tips; that is transit marking, not damage, and new fronds emerge clean. Palms are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• An essential overview of palm varieties
• Browse the full palm range
• Compare plants for poolside gardens
• Low maintenance tropical poolside planting

Common questions

How fast does it grow?

Slowly. Expect roughly 6m over ten to fifteen years in a warm garden, which is a large part of its appeal near a house or a pool where a fast palm quickly becomes a problem.

Can I grow it in a pot long term?

Yes, better than most feature palms, because slow growth means it does not fill a container quickly. Use a pot at least 600mm wide with real drainage and keep the water up in summer.

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender and belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. In cooler areas grow it in a container that can be moved under cover for winter.