Alexandra Palm Archontophoenix alexandrae

Alexandra palm is a solitary feather palm: one slim, closely ringed trunk, a smooth green crownshaft and a crown of arching fronds that move in any breeze. The identifying detail sits underneath. Turn a frond over and the leaflets are a pale silvery grey, where the bangalow palm beside it is green on both faces. It is planted in threes and fives as a tropical feature and avenue palm, and spent fronds cut themselves free and fall whole, so nobody goes up a ladder to tidy it.

Warmth is a condition, not a preference

This is the northern half of the genus. Archontophoenix alexandrae belongs to the wet tropics of coastal Queensland, so it asks for heat, humidity and a frost free position, and it carries less cold tolerance than its southern relative. From Brisbane north it is straightforward. In cooler coastal gardens it needs a warm sheltered pocket with overhead protection, and in a frost hollow it will not last a winter. Give it deep soil with organic matter worked through, moisture held at the roots and drainage below that. Part shade suits young plants and full sun suits them once the trunk is clear of the ground, and water sits at moderate to high, so this is not a palm for an unirrigated bed. Set groups at staggered heights so the crowns sit at different levels rather than lining up. The failure mode is cold. A run of cold nights rots the spear leaf, and by the time the centre pulls out in your hand the palm has already gone. Wind that shreds the leaflets matters as well, but cold is what kills it.

Alexandra or bangalow

The two Archontophoenix are cross shopped constantly, and the answer is climate rather than looks. In the tropics and the warm subtropics Alexandra is the pick, quicker to look right in heat and humidity, with that silver frond underside catching light from below. Anywhere frost settles, take the bangalow palm instead, which holds through cool southern winters where Alexandra sulks and stalls. In far north gardens the other candidate is coconut palm, which reads as beachfront but drops nuts, so Alexandra is the calmer choice over paving, parking and pool surrounds.

Feeding a self cleaning crown

Pruning amounts to almost nothing. Leave each frond until it has browned right off and it will detach by itself, and cutting green or part yellow fronds away pulls reserves out of the palm and thins the crown you paid for. Where dropped fruit is a nuisance over paving, cut the flower spray off while it is still cream instead of waiting for red fruit and birds. Feed in early spring and again through summer with a palm fertiliser carrying potassium and magnesium, since frizzled tips on the oldest fronds usually signal a potassium shortage rather than age. Mulch out to the drip line and keep it off the trunk. More sizes sit in super advanced trees.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 14 sizes, from 140mm up to 1000L, priced from $16.95 to $2749.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to when to plant in Australia.