Christmas Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida

Christmas palm is a small, tidy, single-trunk palm that fits where bigger palms will not, and it does well in Southwest Florida's heat and sandy soil. It tops out around 15 to 20 ft, drops its own old fronds and carries clusters of red fruit in late fall and winter. Its weak points are cold and lethal bronzing, so plant it in a warm, sheltered spot and keep it fed. We stock singles, doubles and triples.

Light:: Full sun; tolerates part shade
Water:: Regular; irrigate through the dry season
Salt:: Moderate; tolerates some salt spray on the fronds

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Christmas 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
Christmas Palm	7 Gallon, 15 Gallon, 25 Gallon, Field Grown 8'-9', Field Grown 10'-12'	A single-trunk palm, available from 7 gallon up to 10 to 12 ft field-grown, for specimens and rows.
Christmas Palm (double)	Field Grown 7'-9'	Two palms planted together as one clump for a fuller look, field-grown at 7 to 9 ft.
Christmas Palm (triple)	Field Grown 6'-7', Field Grown 8'-10'	Three palms planted together for the fullest clump, field-grown at 6 to 7 ft or 8 to 10 ft.

Christmas Palm in SW Florida, at a glance

Mature size here: 15 to 20 ft tall, up to 25 ft in time, with a crown 5 to 8 ft wide
Light: Full sun; tolerates part shade
Water: Regular; irrigate through the dry season
Salt tolerance: Moderate; tolerates some salt spray on the fronds
Cold tolerance: Damage starts near 30°F and a hard freeze can kill it; coastal Lee and Collier are usually fine, cover young palms inland on frost nights
Growth rate: Slow to moderate; quick to about 6 ft, then slow
Spacing: 8 to 10 ft on center in a row
Florida native: No
Botanical name: Adonidia merrillii

Where Christmas Palm works in a SW Florida yard

Christmas palm works in tight spots because the crown is only 5 to 8 ft wide and the trunk stays slim. Use a single as a specimen near a patio or entry, a double or triple for a fuller clump, or a row spaced 8 to 10 ft apart along a driveway.

The crownshaft is clean and old fronds drop on their own, so there is little trimming. Underplant with bromeliads, ti plant or ornamental ginger, and keep it 8 to 10 ft off the house so the fronds can arch.

Small-yard specimen palm
Entry and patio accent
Rows along a drive
Doubles and triples for clumps

How our crew plants it

Set the top of the root ball level with the soil, never buried, in a hole twice as wide as the ball. Palms do not need amended backfill. Taller field-grown palms are braced until the roots anchor, usually 6 to 12 months, and doubles and triples go in as one clump.

The crew waters it in and cleans up. New plantings get extra water under Lee and Collier rules. Plant in the warm months, May through September, since this palm is cold-tender.

Care after planting

Feed in spring and early fall with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer that includes magnesium and micronutrients, and skip it from June 1 to September 30.
Orange-yellow speckling on older fronds points to potassium or magnesium shortage, while crinkled, stunted new fronds point to manganese or boron.
Leave green fronds alone and let old ones drop on their own, since this palm is self-cleaning.
Cover young palms with frost cloth on nights forecast near 32°F, especially inland.
Water through the dry season from November to May, since a dry Christmas palm looks scruffy fast.

What to watch for

Lethal bronzing and lethal yellowing, planthopper-spread phytoplasma diseases, kill Christmas palms in Florida, with fronds that yellow or bronze from the bottom up and no cure once the spear leaf collapses, so ask a palm specialist about preventive trunk injections.
Ganoderma butt rot, a soil fungus, can rot the lower trunk of any palm, and a shelf-like conk at the base is the warning sign.

Christmas Palm questions we hear

How tall does a Christmas palm get in Florida?+

Most reach 15 to 20 ft, and UF/IFAS notes up to 25 ft over time, with a crown only 5 to 8 ft wide. It grows fairly quickly to about 6 ft, then slows down. That small size is why it suits tight yards, patios and entries.

Will a Christmas palm survive a freeze in Southwest Florida?+

It depends on the freeze. Damage starts around 30°F, and a hard freeze can kill it. Coastal Lee and Collier rarely get that cold, but Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers and Port Charlotte can. Plant in a sheltered spot and cover young palms on nights forecast near freezing.

What is lethal bronzing and can it kill my Christmas palm?+

Lethal bronzing is a bacterial disease spread by a small planthopper, and Christmas palm is on the UF/IFAS list of palms known to get it. Fronds yellow or bronze from the bottom up and the spear leaf dies. There is no cure after symptoms show, so prevention by trunk injection is the main defense.

How often should I fertilize a Christmas palm?+

Feed in spring and early fall with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer that includes magnesium and micronutrients. Lee County, Naples and Marco Island ban nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer from June 1 to September 30, so skip that window. Orange speckles on older fronds point to potassium or magnesium, which the palm fertilizer corrects over a few months.

What is the difference between a single, double and triple Christmas palm?+

A single has one trunk, a double is two palms planted together and a triple is three. Doubles and triples give a fuller, clumped look at a younger age, while singles suit rows and tight spots. Plan on a little more width for the clumps.

How close can I plant a Christmas palm to my house or pool?+

About 8 to 10 ft from the house is comfortable, since the crown spreads 5 to 8 ft. Palm roots are fibrous and do not lift pavement the way many tree roots do. Near a pool, expect red fruit to drop in late fall and winter and plan on skimming.

Updated October 2026