Palm Trees >>Palm Tree Help >>Palms That Don't Grow Tall Short Palm Trees

Interestingly enough, other customers want the “towering canopy” and look specifically for palms that get quite tall. But, for those who want shorter palms, I have written this article.

First, let’s define “short” and “tall”
There’s no question that a huge Caryota species that gets up to ninety feet is “tall”. Also, a Serenoa species that only gets to five feet is one of the “short palms”. Where do we draw the line? Most people consider “short” to be a palm that doesn’t get over 15 to 20 feet at maturity. “Tall” is more than 30 feet to 40 feet.  In between these two are the medium sized palms. Thus, for this article, we are going to examine palms that don’t typically get more than 5 to 20 feet at maturity; this does not take into consideration cultural restrictions that may dwarf the palm or create a “bonsai” type plant. We are assuming that the palm will be in the ground and well maintained.  Also, the list below is for the eventual mature height of the tree.  Remember that some species are so slow that, for all practical purposes, they are short for many decades.  But, as we assume you are the best gardener in the world, these species below are given for anticipated mature heights.  Also, remember that there are always exceptions; perhaps you might be the one who can get the tree to grow taller than mentioned.  But for the sake of this article, the heights below are typical heights for well grown trees.   

Also, we are including species that a reader might be able to find with some ease-commercially, although many require going to a specialty nursery like ours (Jungle Music Palms & Cycads).  We have avoided species that are so rare, even we or other nurseries scarcely have them available for sale.  Also avoided are species that only grow in tropical regions of the world.  

Another factor we've worked into the list is sun tolerance.  Surprisingly, there are more shade-loving really short palms than there are sun-lovers.  But, when you think about it, this is natural as these "understory" palms by their nature don't penetrate the upper canopy and prefer filtered light.  Please note that, as we approach the 10 to 20 foot range, there is a much larger selection of species for sun-loving palms.  

One more point:  although it might sound silly to some of you, I've been asked many times if you can "cut off the crown" of the palm to keep it short (i.e., cut it back like you would some types of trees).  The answer is 'NO!"  It would keep the tree from growing any taller for sure, but it would kill the palm.  Large palms are large and small palms are small. 

I hope the information helps you choose the right palm for your garden.  Pictures are available on each for your convenience by clicking on the species name.