Joannis Palm

Joannis Palm (Veitchia joannis), the Fiji palm, is the tall slim feature palm for a warm garden that needs height without bulk. It climbs to around 10m over ten to fifteen years and holds a crown only about 4m across, so it clears a roofline while leaving the garden bed below usable. Cream flower sprays bring birds into the canopy.

Why you'll love it

• Height in a narrow footprint. A 10m palm with a 4m crown fits between a fence and a house wall where a spreading tree never could.
• Fast for a palm. In a warm garden with water and feed it puts on real trunk each year, so you are not waiting a decade.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and comfortable in high humidity, which makes it a sound choice for a beachside block.
• Birds come to it. Cream flower sprays are followed by fruit that native birds work through in the warmer months.

Where it works best

Poolside. The clean trunk and high crown suit a pool surround, with shade where you want it and no year round leaf litter. Set it back 1.5m from the coping.

Driveways and avenues. Plant 3m to 4m apart for a formal row of trunks. For a resort style clump, group three at 1.5m to 2m so the crowns stagger.

Feature planting. A single specimen against a two storey wall or beside an entry gives instant scale, and the trunk takes uplighting well at night.

Growing Joannis Palm in Australia

Position and climate. This is a tropical and subtropical palm and it is frost tender, so it needs a genuinely frost free position. The Queensland coast and the warm northern rivers suit it. Cool temperate and frost prone inland gardens are not viable, since even light frost scorches the fronds. Full sun gives the best form.

Soil. Free draining soil with organic matter worked through. It will not sit in waterlogged ground, so mound the planting area on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, then weekly in dry spells. Feed a controlled release palm fertiliser in early spring and late summer, since palms show potassium shortage as yellowing on old fronds.

Pruning. Very little. Spent fronds shed on their own rather than needing cutting, though a heavy frond does drop from height now and then, worth thinking about directly over seating. Never cut green fronds to tidy the crown.

What to expect when it arrives

This palm is sold in one size, a 90L pot. That is an advanced specimen with established trunk and a full crown, so it reads as a mature feature from the day it goes in.

A palm this size is freighted on a pallet, and some frond tip burn in transit is normal rather than a fault. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• An overview of palm varieties for Australian gardens
• Browse large palms for instant impact
• Compare plants suited to poolside planting
• Choosing low maintenance tropical poolside plants

Common questions

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender and needs a frost free position, which rules out cool temperate districts and inland frost pockets. If you get frost most winters, choose a hardier palm instead.

How fast does it grow?

Expect roughly 10m over ten to fifteen years in a warm garden, which is quick for a palm of this height. Growth slows noticeably if it is short of water or feed.

How close to a pool or paving can I plant it?

Palms have fibrous roots rather than woody spreading ones, so 1.5m of clearance from coping or paving is generally enough. That also keeps the rootball clear of pool plumbing.

Does it need much maintenance?

Little. Feeding twice a year and watering through dry spells is most of it, since the palm sheds its own spent fronds.