Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Queen Palm
Queen Palm is a tall, single-trunk palm with long, feathery, arching fronds and a smooth gray trunk. It is one of the most planted palms in the Valley for a lush, tropical look around pools, patios and courtyards. With regular water and palm fertilizer it grows fast, reaching 20 to 40 feet here. Creamy flower clusters show up in spring and summer.
Best for: pool and patio plantings, a tall focal point in a courtyard or entry, and grouped palms in a watered, tropical part of the yard.
It is widely planted around pools and patios for a resort feel. Keep the trunk about 6 to 10 feet back from the pool edge so dropped fronds and fruit land in the beds. Its roots are not known to be aggressive.
One queen palm makes a tall focal point in a courtyard or entry. It also works massed in a group, spaced about 12 to 15 feet apart center to center.
It looks its best in a watered, tropical part of the yard where it gets regular deep soaks and palm fertilizer. The east side of the house, out of strong wind, suits it best.
In alkaline Valley soil it needs regular palm fertilizer, or fronds can yellow and new growth can come out stunted. Hot west walls, reflected heat and wind can burn and shred fronds. It drops lots of orange dates, and freezes below about 25°F can damage it.
- Grouped palms12-15 ft apart
- Near the house and walls10+ ft from walls
- Beside a pool6-10 ft from the pool edge
Water a new palm daily for the first two weeks, keeping the root ball moist but not soggy. Then ease to about once a week through its first warm season, 2 feet deep, and widen the watered area as the roots grow.
Once rooted, soak it 2 to 3 feet deep every 7 to 10 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Water 3 to 5 feet out from the trunk, not at the trunk.
Feed with a palm fertilizer through the warm season, about April through September. Use a palm food with manganese and iron, since frizzled new fronds mean it is short on manganese. Skip feeding late in the year.
Remove only dead or brown fronds and seed stalks, and leave the green fronds in place.
Fronds are damaged near 25°F, and wind tears the long fronds. Plant it in a sheltered spot and cover young palms on frosty nights.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How fast does a queen palm grow?
It is one of the faster palms. With regular water and palm fertilizer it can add about 1 to 2 feet of height a year.
How tall and wide does it get?
In Arizona it can reach 20 to 40 feet tall, and up to 50 feet where it grows best. The fronds run about 10 to 15 feet long, so the crown can spread 15 to 30 feet.
How far apart should I plant queen palms?
Group them about 12 to 15 feet apart, center to center. Keep the trunk about 10 feet or more from the house and walls, and 6 to 10 feet from a pool edge. The Spacing tab lays it out.
How often should I water a queen palm?
Water a new palm daily for the first two weeks, then ease to about once a week through its first warm season. Once settled, soak it every 7 to 10 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Water 3 to 5 feet out from the trunk, soaking 2 to 3 feet deep.
Why are my queen palm's fronds turning yellow?
Valley soil is alkaline, and that locks up iron, manganese and other nutrients the palm needs. Low potassium and magnesium can show up too. A full palm fertilizer, soil sulfur and a 3 inch layer of organic mulch help it take them up.
What is frizzle top?
New fronds come out stunted, crinkled and weak. It comes from a lack of manganese, which is common in alkaline Arizona soil. Palm fertilizer plus a manganese product through the warm months is the usual fix. Left untreated it can kill the palm.
How and when should I fertilize it?
Feed it through the warm season, about April or May through September. Use a palm fertilizer with manganese, magnesium, iron and potassium, not a general plant food. Schedules run from monthly to every 3 months.
Should I cut off brown fronds?
Only cut fronds that are fully dead. Green fronds feed the palm, so leave them even with brown tips, and just snip the brown tip if it bothers you. Avoid nicking the trunk, since wounds can let in trunk rot.
How cold can a queen palm take?
Fronds can be damaged below about 25°F. Colder freezes, around 16 to 20°F, can kill it. Young palms are more tender, so cover them on frosty nights.
Can it take full sun and reflected heat?
It takes full sun to part shade. It does best on the east side of the house. Hot west walls, reflected heat off rock and paving, and drying wind can scorch and shred the fronds.
Is a queen palm messy?
Yes, it makes some mess. It drops clusters of orange dates that pile up at the base and can sprout seedlings, and dead fronds need trimming. Cut off the seed stalks before the fruit ripens to cut down on cleanup.
Can I plant a queen palm next to a pool?
It is widely planted around pools, and its roots are not known to be aggressive. Keep the trunk about 6 to 10 feet from the pool edge so dropped fronds and fruit land in the beds, not the water.
Is a queen palm toxic to dogs or cats?
It is listed as non-toxic. The orange dates even have a thin layer of sweet, edible pulp around a hard seed.
Queen Palm for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) brings a lush, tropical look to Valley yards with its feathery fronds and smooth gray trunk. It is a South American palm that grows fast with regular water and palm fertilizer. Below is what to expect in an Arizona yard, from size and spacing to water, feeding, cold, pruning and how it compares to other palms.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How fast does a queen palm grow in Phoenix?
Queen palm is one of the faster palms for the Valley. With regular deep water and palm fertilizer it can add about 1 to 2 feet of height a year. In Arizona it can reach 20 to 40 feet tall.
How often do you water a queen palm in Arizona?
It is not a low-water palm. New palms need water about 3 to 5 times a week their first summer. Once settled, soak every 3 to 10 days in summer and every 3 to 6 weeks in winter. Put the water 3 to 5 feet out from the trunk and soak 2 to 3 feet deep.
How to fix yellow fronds and frizzle top on a queen palm
Yellow fronds usually come from alkaline soil locking up iron, manganese and other nutrients. Frizzle top, where new fronds come out stunted and crinkled, comes from a lack of manganese. Feed with a palm fertilizer that has manganese through the warm season, and add soil sulfur and organic mulch.
What soil does a queen palm need in the Valley?
It wants fertile soil that drains well. Much Valley soil is alkaline clay that drains slowly and ties up nutrients. Lime from nearby concrete can push the soil even more alkaline. Loosening the soil, soil sulfur and organic mulch all help.
Can a queen palm survive a Phoenix freeze?
Fronds can be damaged below about 25°F, and colder freezes around 16 to 20°F can kill it. Young palms are the most tender, so cover them on frosty nights. A spot near the house or among other plants gives some shelter.
Queen palm vs Mediterranean fan palm
Mediterranean fan palm grows slowly to about 25 feet with several trunks and gray-green fan leaves. It handles cold far better, needs less water once rooted and drops little litter. Queen palm grows faster and taller with one trunk and soft, feathery fronds.
Queen palm vs Mexican fan palm
Mexican fan palm is a desert palm that grows much taller, often 50 to 70 feet or more. It takes drought and heat better but needs its dead fronds trimmed each year. Queen palm stays shorter, with a softer tropical look, and needs more water and feeding.
Queen palm vs pygmy date palm
Pygmy date palm is a small palm, often 6 to 10 feet tall, that fits tight spots by pools and patios. It prefers some afternoon shade in the Valley. Queen palm is a tall single-trunk palm for a bigger space and full sun.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.