Landscaping with Palm Trees | Design Ideas and Style Tips

Landscaping with palm trees ideas can transform any outdoor space into an inviting retreat. Did you want to:

• Plan a tropical backyard escape?
• Refresh your front yard?
• Create a relaxing poolside setting?

The right palms can become graceful focus points. They'll add framing, texture, and year-round beauty to your landscape.

In this guide, we'll give you practical palm tree landscaping ideas - like how to combine palms with complementary plants, and find simple design tips to create a landscape that's both idyllic and delightful to maintain. 

How to Design a Beautiful Landscape With Palm Trees

Choosing a Landscape Theme for Your Palms

Before choosing your first palm tree, decide on the overall style you want for your landscape. A purposeful theme makes it easier to select palms, companion plants, stone and/or brickwork, and decorative features that all work together.

If you already have a palm, start thinking of a theme you'd like. You'll now be focusing on what To Do Around Your Landscape's Palm, which may be even more important for you. 

Create Depth by Layering Plants Around Your Palms

One of the simplest ways to create a professionally designed landscape is by layering plants of different heights.

Just as in nature, tall palms, medium-sized shrubs, and low-growing groundcovers work together to create visual interest.

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Choosing Your Palm for the Upper Layer Focus

Choose A Type of Palm that's medium to tall sized, while being sure it's suited to Your Climate Zone, and landscape size.

QUEEN PALMS (Syagrus romanzoffiana) make excellent canopy trees.

TRIANGLE PALMS (Formerly Dypsis decaryi - now Chrysalidocarpus decaryi) can give an unusual focus.

WINDMILL PALMS (Trachycarpus fortunei) are a number one choice in cooler climes.

If you're working with limited space or layering heights, consider these Shorter Palm Trees for Landscaping to choose as your focus.

Mid-layer Shrubs and Understory Palms

Try these for structure and pops of color.

HAWAIIAN TI

Best Used For: adding bold, colorful vertical accents near palm trunks. The burgundy or multicolored leaves create striking contrast against green palm fronds.

CROTONS

Best Used For: filling borders and beds with dazzling leaves that echoe a tropical feel year-round.

BIRD OF PARADISE

Best Used For: Dramatic focus or privacy screening. Its large paddle-shaped leaves and exotic flowers pair naturally with a palms.

IXORA

Best Used For: Low hedging and foundation plantings. It brings compact, continuing bursts of red, orange, or yellow flowers to palm groupings.

Another option is to use small palms, Those Native Palms growing in the forest's understory. They're Palms Used to Shade for much of the day. So be sure the planting spot doesn't get full sun for much of the day.

Ground Cover and Low Border Plants

Low to the ground plants are a finishing key.

MONDO GRASS 

Best Used For: a soft, grassy ground cover around palms, where grass struggles anyway. This plant tolerates shade, as well as root competition from nearby plants.

LIRIOPE

Best Used For: defining garden borders and pathway edges with its grass-like clumps and purple flower spikes. It adds subtle texture.

DWARF MONDO

Best Used For: small spaces needing tight, low-growing ground cover. Also suitable between stepping stones. Great for a manicured, tidy finish around palm plantings.

This simple three-layer strategy helps eliminate that bare "palm trunk" look. Instead, it creates a fuller, more balanced design with color, texture, and visual interest from the ground up, and the top down!

Layering tall, medium, and low-growing plants creates a fuller, more natural-looking palm landscape.

Looking for more inspiration? Explore these related guides to choose your focus palm:

• Backyard Palm Tree Ideas
• Palms for the Front Yard
• Foxtail Palm Landscape Ideas

Palm Tree Landscape Design for Shade?

Palm trees aren't noted for bringing shade.

A number of homeowners and landscapers believe that Tall Palm Trees could effectively provide shade. Perhaps because they love their striking appearance. If true, all yards with tall palms would have lots of shade.

But how many have planted tall palms hoping for shade? Then finding they don't do that, once they've reached towering heights.

Just like tall flagpoles cast small shadows because the flag is high - tall palms cast a small shadow, with their far distant canopies.

Yet certain palms could be used for your tropical shade garden. Those with Palmate Fronds can shade, as their fronds have larger surfaces.

• Use small palm trees with wide fronds to give seating area shade.
• Use palm species no more than 12-15ft/3.7-4.6m high to shade seating areas.
• Group palms with varied heights for layered shading.

Usually the best shade palms are those with shorter heights with large palmate fronds.

Proper Mulching for Decor and Plant Health

You may choose to finish the planting bed area with decorative rock, mulch, or shells that complement your landscape theme.

Yet, according to Ornamental Palm Horticulture, newly planted palms with added mulch only lost about 4% of the watering totals. It also notes that "mulch tends to intercept or deflect... much of the water applied" and the soil under the mulch ends up drier than if it's not mulched.

We've mulched around our palm, as well as other plants and trees on our property. And haven't had any bad effects. But consider these three things, if you're thinking of applying mulch or rock around a palm.

• The first thing is choosing the best type of mulch. Quality organic mulch will gradually break down and send nutrients into the soil.
• When applying mulch, keep it 2-5in (5-13cm) away from the trunk.
• Rock is definitely not recommended in place of mulch. If you'd like to use it, do so farthest away from your palm, in your theme plan. And instead of many larger rocks, select a few for spotting or grouping and maybe one small boulder.

Color, Texture, and Contrast Ideas for Palm Landscapes

Want your palm garden to feel lush and complete?

Palm trees look their best when they're surrounded by plants that complement their shape, color, and texture. The right companion plants soften bare trunks, give you yard seasonal burst, and make your landscape feel balanced rather than skimpy.

Here's a few more suitable plants to consider.

Using Flowering Companions for Seasonal Color

Add vibrance and variable interest with these colorful, showy blooms. Ideas for a pop of color always does a palm landscaped garden well!

ROSE OF SHARON (Hibiscus syriacus) - Excellent for adding height and colorful backdrop adjacent to palms.

COMMON LANTANA (Lantana camara) - Great for filling sunny spaces around palms with long-lasting color.

Pairing Palm Frond Textures with Broadleaf Plants

These selections add dimension and contrast to your surrounding planting beds.

FERNS - Suitable in rainy climate areas, as an understory choice. They present a soft texture for landscape calm.

• The Ostrich Fern (Onoclea struthiopteris) prefers shade, but can adapt to sun with cool temperatures and ample watering.

CORDYLINES - Prized for their spiky, sword-shaped leaves with shades ranging from deep purple to pink, cream, and green. With strongly dramatic color making them a natural companion planting choice around palms.

BROMELIADS - Add low-growing, colorful accents in the partly shady areas under thick palm crowns. Long-lasting blooms bring texture and tropical flair. They're a natural fit for layering beneath a palm's canopy.

Complete Your Palm Landscape With Finishing Touches

Let your palm garden tell a story.

Well-placed accents turn a collection of palm tree landscaping ideas into an interesting design, for you to add to your Landscape Around Your Headlining Palm.

GARDEN LIGHTING

• Uplight Your Palms at Night to create dramatic silhouettes. 
• And to extend your tropical garden enjoyment into the evening.

STONE EDGING

• Use natural stone or pavers to frame your beds
• Adding neatness with crisp, clean lines.

WATER FEATURES

• Add in a small fountain, reflecting pool, or bubbling urn.
• They all add sound and motion for an added thrill.

PATHWAYS

• Incorporate flagstone or shell walkways.
• Pathways invite others for garden exploration.
• While roaming through, visitor movements are defined without getting too close to the palm.

DECOR ACCENTS

• Think of Accents You Can Add to add to your theme.
• Incorporate ceramic pots, driftwood sculptures, and garden benches.
• Even try tiki torches for exotic personality.

IMAGINE:

• A Showcase Palm lit from below, surrounded by low shrubs or dwarf Palms in Your Front Yard, for curb appeal.
• A Palm Nook with cozy seating beneath graceful canopy fronds. Or creating the nook around your nearby patio chairs.
• A Poolside Paradise complete with Potted Palms, lanterns, and breezy textiles.

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Common Palm Landscape Design Mistakes to Avoid

Adding Too Much Rock Around Tropical Plantings is not Advised - Rock and gravel seem to be clean, low-maintenance surroundings in your theme. But UF/IFAS Extension specifically advises against inorganic mulch in palm landscape beds. Why?

• It raises soil and reflected heat, and changes soil pH in ways that interfere with nutrient uptake. 
• Palms are especially sensitive to this because their roots develop from the trunk's base, and spread out wide, not deep. Making heat and moisture management around the base even more important.
• Unlike organic mulch, it never breaks down to feed the soil. 

Planting Palms Too Close Together - That forces their root systems to compete for water and nutrients. Younger palms can become undernourished. Consider that palm crowns may overlap and block sunlight to shorter palms and fronds. A common result is a palm stretches to reach more sun, unnaturally thinning the trunk.

Mixing Plants With Very Different Water Needs - Whether using multiple palms in your landscape, or palms along with accompanying plants for a theme, they all should have the same essential requirements for water quantities. Otherwise some will suffer and deteriorate.

Creating a Flat, Bare Landscape - Your palm landscape area will have such an improved appearance by adding some color and texture. Various plants and garden accents help.

Ignoring Mature Size - This is last, but definitely not the least! When palms are small you might not give too much thought to look upward above them. But it could bring disaster if the mature crown interferes with power pole wires, landscape balance, window views and the roof around your home.

Ideas for Landscaping With Palms FAQ

Your Palm Landscape Started With a Plan

BUT YOU'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!

Landscaping with palm trees with ideas is more than planting trees. It’s about arranging an outdoor experience. Layered heights, complementary foliage, textured groundcovers, and striking focal points work together to create a rich tapestry. Immersing everyone in that tropical vibe.

There's even more to think about when using ideas to landscape with palm trees!

• Like more fabulous ideas for Landscaping Around a Palm Tree. 
• What other plants to include? Maybe assorted tropicals, Like Those With a Palmy Look, cycads, yuccas etc.
• If you're focusing on curb appeal, see our Guide to Palms for the Front Yard
  for layout ideas.

Before starting your landscape, check on the Best Help With Your Palm Tree Design Prep.

Whether you’re aiming for beachy calm or exotic escape, palms can anchor your landscape and elevate your space.

About the Authors: Karen McGowan is the creator of MissionPalmTrees.com, and The Palm Species Navigator, along with her husband Bill. Where they share easy to read palm tree expertise gained from years of finding and studying palms in varied climates. So readers will know palms, and can avoid costly palm planting mistakes. Learn more.