Spindle Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
If you want a clean, sculptural palm at 15 to 25 ft and have a warm, sheltered spot, spindle palm does well in Southwest Florida. It is slow and single-trunked, with a swollen, spindle-shaped trunk and a tidy crownshaft. It needs full sun, regular feeding and protection from cold, because it is one of the tenderer palms we plant.
- Light:
- Full sun
- Water:
- Moderate; irrigate through the dry season
- Salt:
- Moderate
Spindle 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 |
|---|---|
| Spindle Palm | 15 Gallon, 25 Gallon, Field Grown 6'-9' |
Spindle Palm in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 15 to 25 ft tall, with a crown roughly 6 to 10 ft wide
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate; irrigate through the dry season
- Salt tolerance
- Moderate
- Cold tolerance
- Tender: frost burns the fronds and a hard freeze can kill it; coastal Lee and Collier are usually fine, protect young palms inland
- Growth rate
- Slow to moderate
- Spacing
- 10 ft on center in a row
- Florida native
- No
- Botanical name
- Hyophorbe verschaffeltii
Where Spindle Palm works in a SW Florida yard
The swollen trunk and clean crownshaft make spindle palm a specimen, so give it a spot where it can be seen: an entry court, the corner of a patio or the center of a bed. Choose the warmest, most sheltered exposure you have, such as the south or east side of the house.
Bromeliads, ti plant and ornamental ginger work at its feet, with a bottle palm or foxtail palm as a second accent. Leave 8 to 10 ft from walls so the crown has room.
- Sculptural specimen accent
- Courtyard and entry focal point
- Warm, sheltered corners
- Mixed tropical beds
How our crew plants it
Plant spindle palm shallow rather than deep: the top of the root ball stays level with the soil, in a hole twice as wide as the ball, with no soil amendments. Taller field-grown palms are braced until the roots anchor. Our crew waters it in and cleans up.
Lee and Collier allow extra watering for new plantings. Time the planting for the warm months, May through September, rather than winter, so the roots establish well before the first cold snap.
Care after planting
- Use an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer with magnesium and micronutrients in spring and early fall, and nothing during the June 1 to September 30 ban.
- Orange-yellow speckling or dying older fronds point to potassium or magnesium shortage, and crinkled new fronds point to manganese, so correct it early.
- Water regularly through the dry season, since a stressed palm is slow to rebound.
- Cover young palms with frost cloth on nights forecast near freezing.
- Remove only fully brown fronds, because green and yellow ones still feed the palm.
What to watch for
- A hard freeze can brown the fronds or kill the palm, and young palms inland are most at risk.
- UF/IFAS lists spindle palm as susceptible to lethal yellowing, a deadly palm disease, so call a palm specialist if fronds yellow from the bottom up and the new spear leaf dies.
- Potassium and magnesium shortages are a common reason spindle palms look rough in sandy soil.
Spindle Palm questions we hear
How tall does a spindle palm get?+
Spindle palm is slow, and UF/IFAS puts mature height at 20 to 25 ft, though 15 to 20 ft is common in yards for many years. The trunk swells in the middle and the crown spreads roughly 6 to 10 ft. It takes years to get there, which is why people buy larger field-grown palms for height now.
Is spindle palm cold hardy in Southwest Florida?+
It is one of the more cold-sensitive palms. UF/IFAS says it handles freezing better than a bottle palm, but frost still burns the fronds and a hard freeze can kill it. Coastal Lee and Collier usually avoid damage. Inland, plant it against a south wall or under tree cover and keep frost cloth ready.
What is the difference between a spindle palm and a bottle palm?+
Both are Hyophorbe palms from the Mascarene Islands. The bottle palm has a short, bulging, bottle-shaped trunk and stays much shorter, while the spindle palm has a taller, spindle-shaped trunk. UF/IFAS notes spindle palm is also somewhat more tolerant of freezing temperatures.
Why are the fronds on my spindle palm turning yellow and orange?+
Usually a nutrient shortage, most often potassium or magnesium, which spindle palms run short of in sandy soil. Feed with an 8-2-12 palm fertilizer with magnesium and micronutrients, outside the June 1 to September 30 ban. Damaged fronds do not recover, so judge progress by the new ones.
How close can I plant a spindle palm to the house?+
Keep it about 8 to 10 ft from walls so the crown has room and you can reach it. The roots are fibrous and do not lift pavement. A spot on the south or east side of the house also gives extra warmth in winter, which helps with cold.
How much does a spindle palm cost installed?+
The price comes down to pot size or field-grown height and how many palms you want. We quote planted prices by text, usually within the hour during the day, and half down holds the plants and a delivery day.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Spindle 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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