Alexander Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Alexander palm, sometimes called solitaire palm, is a slender, self-cleaning feather palm that grows well in SW Florida, stops at about 20 to 25 feet, and suits narrow side yards, lanais and entries. It likes sun to part shade and regular water, but it is tender to freezing and burns in salt spray. We deliver and plant singles, doubles and triples.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade
- Water:
- Regular; best with steady moisture, with some drought tolerance once established
- Salt:
- Low; fine inland or on a sheltered lot, but salt spray burns the fronds
Alexander Palm sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Variety or form | Sizes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Palm | 25 Gallon, Field Grown 16', Double/Multi-Trunk Field Grown 16'-18', Field Grown 10'-12' | The standard listing, mostly slim single trunks in 25 gallon and field-grown sizes, with a 16 to 18 foot multi-trunk option for a fuller look. |
| Alexander Palm (double) | Field Grown 10'-12' | Two palms in one root ball at staggered heights, a field-grown 10 to 12 foot accent that takes little more ground than a single. |
| Alexander Palm (triple) | Field Grown 10'-12' | Three palms grown together, a field-grown 10 to 12 foot cluster that screens a wall or corner with very little spread. |
Alexander Palm in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 20 to 25 ft tall, with a crown 6 to 8 ft wide
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular; best with steady moisture, with some drought tolerance once established
- Salt tolerance
- Low; fine inland or on a sheltered lot, but salt spray burns the fronds
- Cold tolerance
- Tender. Fronds burn near freezing and a hard freeze can kill it; keep it out of cold wind and cover young palms on frost nights
- Growth rate
- Moderate to fast
- Spacing
- 8 to 10 ft on center for a row
- Florida native
- No, native to Queensland, Australia
- Botanical name
- Ptychosperma elegans
Where Alexander Palm works in a SW Florida yard
Alexander palms are slender, so they work where a wider palm would crowd a wall: a side yard, an entry court, beside the lanai or along a fence. Singles read clean and formal in a staggered row, while doubles and triples give a fuller cluster with trunks at different heights and very little spread.
A two-story wall makes a good backdrop. Ti plants and bromeliads add color at the base, and a liriope edge keeps the bed tidy.
- Narrow side-yard accent
- Lanai and entry planting
- Staggered rows
- Multi-trunk clusters
How our crew plants it
Each Alexander palm goes into a hole two to three times as wide as the root ball and no deeper, with the top of the ball level with the soil. Field-grown palms are braced with stakes for six to twelve months while roots grip.
Rows run 8 to 10 feet on center, and doubles and triples are planted as one unit. We water in and clean up. Lee and Collier allow extra watering on new plantings, so water often at first, then taper.
Care after planting
- Feed about three times a year with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer that includes micronutrients, and use nothing containing nitrogen or phosphorus from June 1 to September 30.
- Yellow banding on older fronds or frizzled new growth points to magnesium or manganese shortages in sandy soil, and a micronutrient palm fertilizer corrects it.
- Keep the root zone evenly moist, especially in the dry season, with mulch a few inches deep and clear of the trunk.
- Cut only fronds that are dead or hanging, because stripping green fronds does not make a palm safer in a storm.
- Rake up fallen red fruit and pull seedlings while they are small.
What to watch for
- UF/IFAS gives solitaire palm a 'caution, manage to prevent escape' rating in Central and South Florida because the red fruit sprouts readily, so we keep it in managed yards away from preserves, and you can rake fruit and pull seedlings.
Alexander Palm questions we hear
How tall do Alexander palms get in Florida?+
Most reach about 20 to 25 feet, with a slim trunk and a crown 6 to 8 feet wide. That is smaller than a King Alexander or a royal palm, which is why Alexander palms suit side yards and entries. Growth is moderate to fast with regular water and feeding.
What is the difference between an Alexander palm and a King Alexander palm?+
Alexander palm (Ptychosperma elegans, also called solitaire palm) is a slim palm that stops around 20 to 25 feet. King Alexander (Archontophoenix alexandrae) is a bigger, thicker palm that can reach 40 feet, and it does not transplant well from field nurseries. They are different species that often share a nickname.
Do Alexander palms handle cold in Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres?+
Cold is their weak spot. Fronds burn near freezing and a hard freeze can kill the palm, so coastal Lee and Collier are the easier sites. In Lehigh Acres or North Fort Myers, plant on the sheltered side of the house, out of cold wind, and cover young palms on frost nights.
How far apart should Alexander palms be planted?+
Set them 8 to 10 feet apart in a row, and at least 6 feet from walls so the crown has room. A double or triple counts as one plant and takes slightly more room. Staggering the heights gives a more natural look than a straight line of identical palms.
Do Alexander palms need trimming?+
Rarely. They are self-cleaning, so old fronds drop on their own and you only cut the occasional dead or hanging one. Skip heavy pruning, including so-called hurricane cuts, because removing green fronds does not make a palm safer and can weaken it.
Are Alexander palms salt tolerant?+
No, salt tolerance is low. They do fine inland and on sheltered canal lots, but direct salt spray burns the fronds, so skip bayfront and open Gulf-side exposures. For spray zones, a sabal palm is the tougher choice.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Alexander Palm
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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