Montgomery Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida

Montgomery palm is a quick-growing, tidy feather palm that does well in SW Florida in full sun and reaches 25 to 35 feet, which gets you a royal palm look on a lot that cannot hold a royal. It needs steady water, and it is tender to hard freezes and one of the palms that can catch lethal yellowing. We deliver and plant singles, doubles and triples.

Light:: Full sun
Water:: Moderate to regular; do not let it dry out between waterings
Salt:: Moderate

Text Me a Planted Price Call (239) 799-5594

Montgomery 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
Montgomery Palm (triple)	Field Grown 16', Field Grown 12'-15'	Three palms in one root ball at staggered heights, field grown at 12 to 16 feet for a full, clustered focal point.
Montgomery Palm	25 Gallon, Field Grown 12'-14', Field Grown 15'-18'	The single-trunk form, in 25 gallon and field-grown sizes from 12 to 18 feet, best for rows along drives and property lines.
Montgomery Palm (double)	Field Grown 12'-20'	Two palms in one root ball with trunks at different heights, field grown at 12 to 20 feet to frame an entry or soften a tall wall.

Montgomery Palm in SW Florida, at a glance

Mature size here: 25 to 35 ft tall, with a crown about 8 to 10 ft wide
Light: Full sun
Water: Moderate to regular; do not let it dry out between waterings
Salt tolerance: Moderate
Cold tolerance: Tender. Light frost tatters the fronds and they recover in spring, but a hard freeze can kill it; cover young palms inland on frost nights
Growth rate: Moderate to fast
Spacing: 10 to 12 ft on center for a row
Florida native: No, native to Vanuatu
Botanical name: Veitchia arecina (also sold as Veitchia montgomeryana)

Where Montgomery Palm works in a SW Florida yard

With a slim gray trunk, green crownshaft and stiff, upright fronds, a Montgomery palm reads like a royal palm at a size a typical yard can handle. Singles look best in a staggered row along a drive or property line.

Doubles frame an entry, and triples make a strong focal point at a corner or beside a two-story wall. Ixora and bromeliads at the base add color and soften the trunks.

Driveway and entry rows
Staggered property-line palms
Triple-trunk focal point
Two-story wall accent

How our crew plants it

Rows of Montgomery palms are laid out 10 to 12 feet on center, with each single, double or triple set as one unit. Every hole is two to three times as wide as the root ball and no deeper, and the top of the ball sits at soil level.

Field-grown palms need three stakes or braces for six to twelve months. We water in and clean up, and new plantings can have the extra water Lee and Collier allow, tapering as roots grow.

Care after planting

Feed with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer with magnesium and micronutrients in spring and fall, and use nothing containing nitrogen or phosphorus from June 1 to September 30.
Veitchia is less prone to potassium deficiency than royals or date palms, but sandy soil still runs short of magnesium and manganese, which show up as yellow older fronds or frizzled new ones.
Keep the root zone steadily moist, especially in the dry season, with a mulch ring that stays clear of the trunk.
Cut only dead or hanging fronds, because stripping green fronds before a storm weakens a palm instead of protecting it.
Cover young palms on frost nights inland, since light frost tatters the fronds and a hard freeze can kill the palm.

What to watch for

Lethal yellowing is far less common than it once was, but UF/IFAS lists Montgomery palm as a susceptible host; premature fruit drop, blackened flower spikes and browning fronds are the signs, and a palm specialist can treat early cases with trunk injections.

Montgomery Palm questions we hear

How tall does a Montgomery palm get?+

Most reach 25 to 35 feet in SW Florida, with a slim gray trunk and a crown about 8 to 10 feet wide. Growth is moderate to fast with full sun, steady water and regular feeding. That makes it a good stand-in for a royal palm where a royal's full size would be too much.

What is the difference between a Montgomery palm and a Christmas palm?+

Montgomery palm is the taller, faster, fuller cousin, reaching about 25 to 35 feet against roughly 15 to 25 for a Christmas palm. Both are self-cleaning with red fruit and a green crownshaft. Montgomery fronds look stiffer, and it makes the bigger statement in a row.

Can Montgomery palms take frost in Lehigh Acres or North Fort Myers?+

Light frost tatters the fronds, and they usually recover by spring. A hard freeze can kill the palm, and inland areas like Lehigh Acres get colder nights than the coast. Plant young palms on the sheltered side of the house and cover them when a freeze is forecast.

Are Montgomery palms prone to lethal yellowing?+

They are on UF/IFAS's list of palms that can catch it, so it is a real but uncommon risk. Lethal yellowing is much less common than it once was. Watch for premature fruit drop, blackened flower spikes and browning fronds, and call a palm specialist early if you see them.

How far apart do you plant Montgomery palms?+

For a row, set singles 10 to 12 feet on center, and keep the trunk at least 8 feet from walls and the pool edge so the crown has room. Doubles and triples count as one plant and need a little more space. Staggering the heights looks more natural.

How much does a planted Montgomery palm cost?+

Price depends on the height, the form (single, double or triple) and how many palms you need. We text a planted price, usually within the hour during the day. Half down holds the plants and a delivery day.

Updated October 2026