Bismarck Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Bismarck palm is the silver-blue specimen palm that handles SW Florida's sun, heat, drought and summer rain, and it needs room: 30 to 40 ft tall with a crown 15 to 20 ft wide. It grows slowly, so size matters when you buy. We deliver and plant 25 gallon palms and field-grown palms from 17 to 22 ft, both set at the right depth and watered in.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade; the silver color is best in full sun
- Water:
- Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established and fine with summer rain
- Salt:
- Moderate
Bismarck 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.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Bismarck Palm | 25 Gallon, Field Grown 17'-22' |
Bismarck Palm in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 30 to 40 ft tall with a crown roughly 15 to 20 ft across
- Light
- Full sun to part shade; the silver color is best in full sun
- Water
- Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established and fine with summer rain
- Salt tolerance
- Moderate
- Cold tolerance
- Fronds can scorch in the mid to upper 20s°F; coastal Lee rarely gets there, and inland, young palms should be covered on frost nights
- Growth rate
- Slow to moderate
- Spacing
- 20 ft or more apart in a row; 15 to 20 ft clear of the house, pool and overhead lines
- Florida native
- No, native to Madagascar
- Botanical name
- Bismarckia nobilis
Where Bismarck Palm works in a SW Florida yard
Bismarck palm earns its place as a lone specimen or an odd-numbered grouping on a large lawn, a driveway circle or a corner lot, where the crown has room to spread. The silver-blue fans stand out against green hedges and dark-leaved trees.
Give it full sun, 15 to 20 ft of clear space and a backdrop of clusia, with plumbago at its base for blue-flowered color. Site it where it shows from the street or the lanai.
- Specimen palm for open lawns
- Driveway and entry statements
- Large-lot focal point
- Silver contrast with green plantings
How our crew plants it
Plant at the same depth the palm grew, with the top of the root ball level with the soil and never buried. Dig the hole twice the width of the root ball, backfill with native soil and skip fertilizer in the hole. Brace field-grown palms with posts or guy lines through the first season; early summer is the best window for them, when soil is warm and rain is frequent.
Water in deeply, then keep the root ball moist for the first few months with the extra watering Lee and Collier allow on new plantings.
Care after planting
- Feed with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer that includes magnesium and micronutrients in spring and again in October, and skip it from June 1 to September 30 in Lee County, Naples and Marco Island.
- Watch older fronds for yellow-orange spotting and burnt tips, the usual sign of potassium shortage in our sandy soil, and fix it with palm fertilizer, not by cutting fronds.
- Cut only dead, fully brown fronds, because removing green fronds weakens the palm and does not protect it in a storm.
- Water young palms often for the first few months, then lean on rain and your assigned days.
- Keep string trimmers and mowers away from the trunk.
What to watch for
- Potassium deficiency is the most common problem for Bismarck palms in sandy SW Florida soil, showing as yellow spotting and frizzled, burnt older fronds.
- A crown this wide and fronds this heavy turn a tight planting site into a constant trimming and clearance problem, so site it with room from the start.
Bismarck Palm questions we hear
How fast does a Bismarck palm grow?+
Slowly, especially in the first year or two while the roots establish. It stays a slow to moderate grower for years, so if you want size now, field-grown palms from 17 to 22 ft skip the slow years. The 25 gallon palms are a better fit when you want a smaller start.
How big does a Bismarck palm get in Florida?+
Plan on 30 to 40 ft tall with a crown 15 to 20 ft across, on a single stout gray trunk. It is a large palm, so site it where the crown has room, away from roof edges, pool cages and overhead lines, and with open space around it so the silver fans show.
How close to the house or pool can I plant a Bismarck palm?+
Keep it 15 to 20 ft from the house, pool cage and overhead lines. The crown is wide and the fronds are large and heavy, so a close planting means constant trimming and more risk in a storm. In a tighter space, a smaller palm fits better than squeezing in a Bismarck.
Is a Bismarck palm hurricane proof?+
No palm is. A Bismarck set at the right depth in well-drained soil and braced through its first season has the best odds. Planting too deep and heavy hurricane cuts hurt palms more than they help, so leave the green fronds on and trim only what is dead.
Is Bismarck palm salt tolerant?+
Moderately. It tolerates some salt spray, so it works on many canal and near-coast lots, but it is not a beachfront palm. Keep it a step back from open-water spray and from areas that flood with saltwater.
How much does it cost to plant a field-grown Bismarck palm?+
Price depends on the palm's size, form and how many you want, so we text a planted price. Send the address and the size you are considering; during the day we usually answer within the hour. Half down holds the palm and a delivery day, and the palms come from our own nursery, Palm & Plant Co.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Bismarck 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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