Houailou Palm

Houailou Palm (Chambeyronia houailouensis) is a rare New Caledonian feather palm that matures at about 5m tall and 3m wide, which is small enough for a courtyard. Every new frond emerges a deep glossy red and holds that colour for a week or two before turning green, so the plant stages its own event several times a year. It is smaller and slower than the better known Flame Thrower Palm, which is why it suits a small garden.

Why you'll love it

• The red new leaf. Each emerging frond opens a rich red before hardening to green.
• A courtyard scale palm. At 5m by 3m it suits a small garden or a pot, where most feather palms outgrow the space in a decade.
• Genuinely rare. Uncommon in Australian cultivation, so few visitors will have seen one.
• Wind tolerant and low maintenance. The fronds hold up in wind rather than shredding, and there is no pruning routine beyond removing spent leaves.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One palm in a courtyard or a sheltered bed carries the whole planting. Position it where the new red frond is seen from the house.

Poolside. The crown is compact and the leaf drop is occasional rather than constant, which is what makes a palm workable near paving and water.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. Slow growth makes it a long term container plant. A pot 500mm or wider with free draining mix holds it for years, and it can move under cover in cold weather.

Growing Houailou Palm in Australia

Position and climate. Partial shade suits it best, particularly while young, and it tolerates humidity well. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate palm and it is frost tender, so cold southern and inland gardens need it in a pot that shelters through winter.

Soil. Free draining and rich in organic matter. Work compost through the planting hole, and in a pot use a quality palm or premium potting mix. Waterlogged soil will finish it faster than neglect.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone consistently moist, never sodden, especially through the first two summers. Feed with a controlled release palm fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer to keep the fronds a deep green.

Pruning. Remove old fronds only once they have browned off completely, because the palm draws nutrients back out of a dying leaf. Never cut into the crown.

What to expect when it arrives

This palm is sold in a 70mm tube, and it is worth being direct about that. You are buying a small, slow growing seedling of a rare species, not an instant feature. Expect a few juvenile leaves and several years in a pot before it looks like a palm.

Grow it on in a sheltered, part shaded position with steady moisture. Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• An overview of palm varieties for Australian gardens
• Browse the full palm range
• Exotic and rare plants
• Plants that suit poolside gardens

Common questions

Why is a small tube priced like an advanced plant?

Because the species is rare and slow. Seed is difficult to source and the seedlings take years to reach saleable size, so scarcity rather than plant size sets the price.

How fast will it grow?

Slowly, and there is no shortcut. In a warm, humid, sheltered position expect a few fronds a year, with real height arriving after several seasons rather than one.

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender, so anywhere that gets a genuine frost it must be grown in a pot and moved under cover for winter.

Does the red colour last?

Only on the newest frond, for a week or two, then it hardens to green. Because a young palm pushes only a few leaves a year, that display is occasional rather than constant.