Good common palm for shade?

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Pretty self explanatory but basically i’m looking for a good common palm to plant in a mostly shady side of my house. Northeast facing if that matters, gets very little sun. Needs to be 9b hardy and preferably something i can find at a regular nursery. All input appreciated!

[Palmfarmer]

Kentia palm, Livestona Chinensis and possibly a Majesty depending on how far it has to grow to clear your house to get more sun ☀️ 

for some smaller species there is Chamadorea palms. 
 

Trachycarpus also does well in shade and looks very tropical if you strip the “boots” off it. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

would you say a cat palm would do ok? i’ve seen they’re not super expensive and they cluster. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

5 hours ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

would you say a cat palm would do ok? i’ve seen they’re not super expensive and they cluster. 

That would be fine unless you want to see trunks some day. Cat palms are pretty much trunkless low growing palms. 

[SeanK]

Any Chamedorea or Rhapis species will do OK throughout the state. If folks knew where in the state you live, you could get more specific suggestions. Between Defuniak and Key West there's a 30F° difference in the winter.

[Harry’s Palms]

Probably one of the most forgiving Chamaedorea is the Radicalis and the tree form gets tall without waiting a lifetime! Seeds are readily available , germinate easily , and subsequent growth comes quickly. You could also find plants from fellow collectors that are easily transplanted , I have them all over my yard. Harry

[Merlyn]

Chamaedorea Elegans is a bit taller than Cataractum (cat) and loves full shade too.  I have some on my front porch area that did fine under the overhang at around 27F.  Radicalis is good too, and probably grows taller.  I have a small one but haven't planted it yet.

Fishtail palms grow fine in shade too, but are just stretched out and grow slower.  I have one that was under Queen canopy on the West side of the house.  Areca/Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens will grow tall and stretched out in shade too, but do fine.

There are a lot of uncommon ones that you won't find at a local nursery, like Chuniophoenix Hainanensis or Nana, a bunch of hardy Licuala like Spinosa, etc.

[DoomsDave]

@TropicsEnjoyer greetings! Nice to meet you!

What’s the size range you’re looking at? There’s oodles that’ll grow in your situation; give us more details. Like the city and county in Florida you’re in.

[Harry’s Palms]

@Merlyn some good suggestions. C. Lutescens would be probably one of the most common . They are great palms and easy to care for . Harry

‘This one gets only a couple of hours of morning sun, the tallest stems (about 15’ tall) that are out of view are in sun . About 20 years from 3 gallon pot. It is still putting out pups.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Alright for context i’m in jax/st augustine area, not coastal tho. lows in the low 30s rarely high 20s. 

[Merlyn]

@TropicsEnjoyer two other possibilities come to mind.  You *might* find them at a local nursery.  I know I saw Arenga Engleri at a couple of places in Jax a few years ago.  It prefers sun in FL but grows fine (if slowly) in shade.  I have 12 clusters of Engleri here in the NW Orlando area.  The other is Allagoptera Arenaria, which grows great in shade or sun and is also super hardy.  That might be more difficult to find.

One great opportunity for you is the CFPACS meeting at the St. John's Botanical Garden.  It's probably a 20 minute drive for you and is on 12/7.  I went to the last meeting at this garden, it's a great place to tour!  Usually there's 20-40 different plants up for the auction, and around 5-10 PT members selling rare plants out of their personal nurseries.  I'm not sure if I'm going to this one yet, but in the past I've bought Allagoptera Arenaria, Attalea Brejinhoensis, Beccariophoenix Fenestralis, Chamaedorea Seifrizii (a good option for you in shade), Chuniophoenix Hainanensis and Nana, a hybrid Livistona, Syagrus Schizophylla, Arenga Hookeriana (a super weird shade option), Rhapis Humilis, and Chamaedorea Radicalis.  I'm sure people like @kinzyjr will be there.

 

[kinzyjr]

3 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I'm sure people like @kinzyjr will be there.

There should be quite a few of us there and we'll have a vendor sale and auction there for anyone that is looking to pick up some plants.  The BBQ is also a nice perk.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. 

I’ve seen C. seifrizii and it’s a nice little clumper, and im still wanting a rhapis too. Arenga could be a good option also i’ve seen a lot of those in my area. At the end of the day ill have time to think bc i dont plan on buying anything atm, gonna wait until spring. But i at least have a good idea of what to consider  😊

[Palmfarmer]

23 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Chamaedorea Elegans is a bit taller than Cataractum (cat) and loves full shade too.  I have some on my front porch area that did fine under the overhang at around 27F.  Radicalis is good too, and probably grows taller.  I have a small one but haven't planted it yet.

Fishtail palms grow fine in shade too, but are just stretched out and grow slower.  I have one that was under Queen canopy on the West side of the house.  Areca/Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens will grow tall and stretched out in shade too, but do fine.

There are a lot of uncommon ones that you won't find at a local nursery, like Chuniophoenix Hainanensis or Nana, a bunch of hardy Licuala like Spinosa, etc.

I had one survive a brief dip to 24f. It defoliated but recovered in summer. 

[DoomsDave]

On 11/25/2024 at 8:03 PM, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Alright for context i’m in jax/st augustine area, not coastal tho. lows in the low 30s rarely high 20s. 

What’s your size parameters?

[TropicsEnjoyer]

The thread lives on!

@DoomsDave I don’t have exact measurements but it’s probably around 4x4 (ft) and height can be like idk 5-7ft, just to throw some numbers out there. 

Main purpose is to put something in front of a bathroom window

[Harry’s Palms]

I have a Caryota Mitis in front of one of our bathroom windows and it lets light in but adds privacy. I’m not sure how cold they will go though. Another bedroom window has a large Rhapis Excelsia, both do the trick and love shade . They are fairly slow growing. Harry

[TropicsEnjoyer]

39 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I have a Caryota Mitis in front of one of our bathroom windows and it lets light in but adds privacy. I’m not sure how cold they will go though. Another bedroom window has a large Rhapis Excelsia, both do the trick and love shade . They are fairly slow growing. Harry

i have a C. mitis already in my front yard in a sunnier spot. I’m waiting to see how it fares through winter before I think about buying another. Rhapis is what I’d like most for that spot honestly, but I have time to consider my options as i’ve said earlier.