16 Palm Tree Landscaping Ideas and Designs

Last Updated on January 24, 2022 by Kimberly Crawford

Palm trees are not just for tropical landscapes. With their beautiful, feathered leaves, drooping sometimes upright branches, these trees are a trigger for a full visual display in any landscape and all year, no less. Because of these, building your landscape around a palm tree is truly understandable and, in this post, a roundup of the best palm tree landscaping ideas for you is summed up.

So, if you are considering having one, these are the head start ideas that may help you in your palm tree landscaping.

Related:

16 Palm Tree Landscaping Ideas

Palm tree landscaping ideas for front yard

Front yard accent trees are limitless but one of the most commendable front yard tree landscaping elements would be palm trees and here are some ideas that proves just why.

1. Entryway framing

Palm trees are beautiful frame trees; for the driveway, the pool area, the entryway. Placing palm trees with different heights make a striking entryway framing.

Maintaining the same number of palm trees with same heights on both sides make a unified look for the entryway.

2. Extra shade

We all need the extra shade especially during the summer. For a palm tree landscape geared for extra shade, you need those that could grow tall to more than 20ft. One of the best palm tees to use would be foxtail palms. Adding lower shrubs to make the yard denser is also a fine touch.

3. Front yard depth

With palm trees, you do not need a lot of elaborate designs and placements. Having tall ones scattered around the yard with just a properly maintained turf is sometimes all you need to give your front yard the depth that it needs, especially on a sloped property like this one.

4. Simple front yard hardscaping

Again, you do not need ornate designs for a palm tree to do its wonders on any part of the home. For this front yard, the entryway is framed with two palm trees of different heights.

The driveway is just poured concrete and the edging on each side is a spread of pea gravel and nicely placed stones. And what do you get? A neatly designed front yard hardscaping.

5. Additional windbreaker

This works for both the front and back yard. Palm trees make everything cohesive, but its clustered assortment is strategic in filtering gusts of winds especially during storm and tornado seasons. So, if you are in a place where this usually happens, having a number of palm trees around could be of real benefit.

Backyard landscaping ideas with palm trees

When it comes to backyard landscaping, palm trees are a staple because of their fine contrast with water features, other shrubs and of course the patio and the pool. Here are backyard and backyard pool ideas using palm trees as accent trees.

6. Backyard splash

Lining up palm trees all throughout the backyard fencing not only adds extra shade and privacy, but it also turns the backyard pool into a tropical paradise. Just add complementing shrubs and flowering plants, and you are all set up.

7. Raised planters

If you have a compact backyard with neglected planters, you should start switching your landscape gaze to low maintenance dwarf palms and other plants. This one offers a visual contrast fit for contemporary homes in places with harsher climates, like this one.

8. Palm island

If you have not noticed, backyards are always where the pools are. And if you are lucky enough to have one, the palm need not be in a container by the turf or planted around it.

Sometimes, for shade while you are swimming, you can put concrete islands in the pool itself and contain mid-sized palms there with pebbles by the base. You would not get this sight for a backyard pool very often so go for it.

9. Subtle backyard assortment

This one is yet again for a compact backyard. The coconut palm is placed in a rustic arrangement of other tropical plants. The icing on the cake is the string lights covering the patio and the garden for a warm night surprise.

Landscaping ideas around a palm tree

The good thing about palm trees is that they can stand alone too. Expect them to be standout focal points for landscaping when you combine the right landscape elements around it. From lighting to stones and other plants, you have to be all in if you are landscaping around a palm tree.

10. Spotlight palm

To really put the show around the palm tree in the garden, you can install spotlights for a visual display at night. It is also strategic to give your yard an extra layer of protection especially if you use motion sensor lights. Aside from this, we all need that warm glow for night time lounging in the garden, right?

11. Xeriscape

You should know that palm trees are staple landscape elements in desert-like climates. So, if you are working on a desert landscape, you can really make use of some yucca or bottleneck palm at the center of the landscape and enclose it with concrete and stones. Scatter large cactus bowls around and spread gravel on the entire landscape bed.

12. Mediterranean vibe

If you are in for a coastal vibe with palm trees as the focal point, add tall species of palm trees towering over well-trimmed shrubs and ground cover. Using other types of palm trees to complement this Mediterranean style home also adds texture and depth to this coastal landscape.

Palm tree landscaping ideas for driveway

This is perhaps the most classic landscape idea for palm trees. Think of California, the Palisades or Florida. They are all scenic because of the winding drives with large and lush palm trees on both sides of the road. But you can do more than just lines of palm trees for your driveway and here are some ideas for that.

13. Long tropical drives

Ever seen the Oahu lush backdrop? You can make your own lush tropical driveway by making dense thickets of palm trees and other greenery in your long driveway. The effect of stone pavers is also commendable as it adds texture to and contrast to the entire driveway idea.

14. Lined palm tree driveway

The classic palm tree driveway means that you must line them up from the entrance to the front yard or even straight to the front door. This one boasts symmetrical lines of palm trees with a square frame of tufted grass by the base. The concrete paver on the walkway also adds a classic touch to this driveway.

15. Palm and tall fence hedges

If you want to break away from the typical lines of palm trees for the driveway, you can spread tall fence hedges by the fence wall and make a thick hedge cushion on one side.

Trimmed shrubs on the side with medium size palm trees in between adds dynamics to contrast well with the thick fence wall. Installing garden lights for added night illumination could also help.

16. Royal driveway

You do not need to line up the driveway with palm trees every time. This one marks a short driveway with the use of royal palms. Because they offer an extended shade because of their height and spread, you could use the extra shade to tower on your car while it is parked on the driveway.

FAQs

To help you further in your palm tree landscaping, here are some FAQs that you should be aware of.

What plants do well around palm trees?

To complete the beauty of palm tree landscaping, you should also know what plants do well around this tree. Here is a list of some of the best plants that complement the care requirements and overall look of the palm tree.

Cycads
Bird of paradise
Aloes
Agaves
Ponytail palms
Yucca
Grass tree
Dracaenas
Ferns
Bamboo
Hibiscus
Rhododendrons
Orchids
Bromeliads
Jasmine vines
Vivid caladiums

Can you put rocks around palm trees?

Yes. They can serve as inorganic mulch which helps in stopping weed overgrowth, in making sure that enough moisture seeps through the palm tree and in properly insulating roots to encourage growth. But since some weeds are very adaptive and can still grow out, organic mulch is still more recommended. This could range from grass and wood chips so you can still get a true landscape view from them.

What is the easiest palm to grow?

If you are looking for an all-around palm that goes with any type of landscaping, you should go with the easiest palm to grow which is the areca palm. But for a very low maintenance palm that requires less pruning, you can use some kentia palms.

Related: How Much Do Palm Trees Cost?

Conclusion

Palm trees are indeed a case for visual display. They are low maintenance trees that could work well in most climatic conditions and in a wide range of soils.

Depending on how they are placed in the landscape, they can be showy, dramatic, and provide a layer to the whole area. The landscape ideas that we have listed here definitely shows why palm trees are always used in landscapes.