Teddy Bear Palm

Teddy Bear Palm (Dypsis leptocheilos) takes its name from the thick rust brown fur coating the crownshaft below the fronds, a texture most people reach out and touch before they ask what it is. It grows to around 6m tall and 3m wide on a single clean grey trunk topped with arching feather fronds, steady enough to stay in scale with a suburban garden.

Why you'll love it

• The velvet crownshaft. Dense rust coloured felt sits between trunk and fronds, and it is why this palm gets planted where people walk past it.
• Single trunk, tidy footprint. It does not sucker, so at 6m by 3m it fits a courtyard or a narrow bed without spreading into a clump.
• Low maintenance. Old fronds drop cleanly of their own accord, so there is no annual climbing job to keep it neat.
• Safe around pets. Heat, humidity and dry spells are all handled once established, and it is listed as pet friendly.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Place it where it will be seen up close, near an entry, a courtyard wall or a window, so the furred crownshaft reads properly.

Poolside. The fronds are held high and shed cleanly, and the roots are not invasive, so it suits a pool surround better than most large palms.

Driveways and avenues. For a matched run, space plants 3m to 4m apart so each crown can arch without the fronds knitting over the drive.

Growing Teddy Bear Palm in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to partial shade. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate palm, and the limit is frost: it is frost tender, so cool inland gardens, the tablelands and cold southern districts will not hold it outdoors. In marginal areas plant against a north facing wall.

Soil. Free draining soil enriched with compost. It will not tolerate a wet, airless root zone, so raise the planting position on heavy clay and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, then reduce. A slow release palm fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer keeps the fronds deep green. Pale older fronds usually mean it is short on potassium or magnesium.

Pruning. Remove only fronds that have gone fully brown, cutting close to the trunk. Trimming green fronds to tidy the crown weakens the palm and does nothing for its shape.

What to expect when it arrives

It is offered in two sizes, a 400mm pot and a 100L. The 400mm plant is an established juvenile with a full head of fronds but little visible trunk yet, and the velvet crownshaft develops as that trunk forms. The 100L is an advanced palm with presence from the day it goes in.

Palms are packed with the fronds tied in, so expect to untie and settle them after unpacking, and expect some tip browning from transit. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Allow a month of little visible change, then a new frond every few months through the warm season, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to palm varieties and how to choose
• Browse the full palm tree range
• Compare plants suited to poolside gardens
• See other plants that are safe around pets

Common questions

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender, and even a light frost will scorch the fronds on a young plant. Keep it to frost free tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, or grow it in a large pot that can be moved under cover.

How fast does it grow?

Moderate rather than quick. In a warm garden with water and feed, expect a few new fronds each year and visible trunk within three to four years from the 400mm size.

Is it safe beside a pool, and around pets?

Yes on both counts. The fronds are carried high and drop whole rather than shredding, the roots are not invasive around paving, and it is listed as pet friendly.