Hurricane Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Hurricane palm, also called princess palm, is a single-trunk crownshaft palm that handles Southwest Florida's salt and wind and earned its name for standing up to storms. It reaches 20 to 30 feet on a smooth, ringed trunk with arching fronds, so it suits coastal and canal lots and entries. We deliver and plant landscape-ready palms 4 feet tall.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade; young palms like a little shade
- Water:
- Moderate; needs regular water and does poorly in drought
- Salt:
- High
Hurricane 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Palm | 4' Tall, Landscape Ready |
Hurricane Palm in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 20 to 30 ft tall with a crown 8 to 12 ft wide
- Light
- Full sun to part shade; young palms like a little shade
- Water
- Moderate; needs regular water and does poorly in drought
- Salt tolerance
- High
- Cold tolerance
- Fronds burn around 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
- Florida native
- No, native to the Mascarene Islands
- Botanical name
- Dictyosperma album
Where Hurricane Palm works in a SW Florida yard
Use hurricane palm as a slim tropical accent on a coastal lot, near an entry, or in groups of three at staggered heights for a natural cluster. The crownshaft and ringed trunk read best against open sky, so keep it clear of dense tree canopy. Underplant with bromeliads, ti plant and ginger for a layered tropical look.
- Coastal and canal lots
- Windy, salty sites
- Entry and driveway accent
- Single or grouped specimens
How our crew plants it
Dig the hole twice as wide as the pot and no deeper, and set the top of the root ball level with the soil; never bury the trunk. A 4 foot palm needs only light staking if it wobbles. Water in well and keep the root zone moist, since Lee and Collier allow extra watering for new plantings.
Care after planting
- Keep it evenly moist, since this palm does poorly in drought, and water on your assigned days through the dry season with a layer of mulch.
- Feed with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer with micronutrients before June 1 and again after September 30, because Lee County, Naples and Marco Island ban nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer from June 1 to September 30.
- Watch older fronds for potassium (yellow-orange flecking), magnesium (yellow edges) and manganese (frizzled new fronds) deficiency, and correct them with palm fertilizer instead of cutting fronds.
- Cover young palms on frost nights inland; the trunk sheds old fronds on its own, so little trimming is needed.
What to watch for
- Hurricane palm is on Florida's lethal yellowing host list, a fatal insect-spread disease, so buy healthy stock and watch for premature fruit drop followed by fronds yellowing from the bottom up.
- Scale insects can colonize the fronds, so check the undersides and treat early.
Hurricane Palm questions we hear
Why is it called hurricane palm?+
It earned the name for standing up to storm winds. The fronds shred and shed in strong wind, which lets the palm stay upright, and it recovers afterward. No palm is hurricane-proof, and a new, well-planted palm still benefits from light staking its first year.
Is hurricane palm salt tolerant for a coastal lot?+
Yes. UF/IFAS lists it in the top salt-tolerance group of palms for Florida, and it is used on coastal lots. It still needs regular water and good drainage, and cold snaps in the upper 20s can burn it. Protect it from freezes more than from salt.
How big does a hurricane palm get?+
It grows slowly to about 20 to 30 feet tall with a crown 8 to 12 feet wide, on a smooth gray ringed trunk. A 4 foot palm takes years to build trunk height, so plant it where you can enjoy it young and give it room as it grows.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Hurricane 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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We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.