Cabbage Tree Palm Livistona australis

Before anything else, the leaf stalks are armed with hooked spines along both edges, sharp enough to matter. Cabbage tree palm is our own east coast fan palm, from wet forests and gullies of coastal Queensland, New South Wales and eastern Victoria, and it grows as a single slender trunk ringed with old leaf scars carrying a head of glossy pleated fans on long stalks. The whole plant reads as vertical, which is why it earns space in narrow courtyards, lightwells and against tall blank walls.

A rainforest start, then a climb into the light

It suits a wider band of the country than most palms here, coping with cooler and frostier conditions than the tropical species and with coastal exposure once established. Full sun is the listed position for a grown plant, but it begins life under canopy, so it will sit quietly in shade while young and then push up into the light, which makes it one of the few palms you can plant beneath existing trees and leave alone. Water is low to moderate once established, with deep soil preferred and reasonable drainage; growth is slow, so size matters at purchase. The failure mode is placement. Those hooked spines catch clothing and skin on anyone brushing past, and older palms shed whole heavy fronds from well above head height. Sited beside a path, a pool coping, a driveway or a play area it becomes a maintenance problem within a few years, and access for a lift is needed once the crown is above roof line. Set it back from where people move.

Three Livistonas, three climates

Against Chinese fan palm, this one is taller, narrower and much more upright, where the Chinese species stays lower with a broad weeping crown; take the native for a vertical accent in a tight space and the Chinese for a soft fountain shape with room around it. Carnarvon fan palm is the inland relative, glossier in the leaf and better suited to dry western districts. Cabbage tree palm is the pick for cool coastal gardens and for anyone wanting a locally native fan palm. It is also the one of the three you can plant now under an existing canopy and leave to come through later, which suits a garden being built in stages rather than finished in a single season.

Gloves, then a light hand

Prune only browned fronds, cutting them back to a short stub with gloves and long sleeves on, and do it while you can still reach the crown safely. Green fronds should stay; removing them slows the trunk. Old leaf bases persist on the trunk and can be left for the ringed pattern or cleaned off for a smoother look once they loosen. Feed in spring with a palm fertiliser containing potassium and magnesium and water deeply through the first two summers while the roots take hold. Feed young plants for the first few years and then only as needed, since an established palm in reasonable soil largely looks after itself. More stock sits in advanced trees.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 10 sizes, from 140mm up to 150L, priced from $16.95 to $849.00 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.