What To Put Around Palm Trees

Figuring out what to put around palm trees can make the difference between a lonely-looking trunk and a stunning, layered landscape. The right companions protect the tree, improve soil health, and turn your yard into a tropical paradise. Let’s look at how to choose plants and materials that complement your palm’s unique needs and style.

Palms are architectural wonders. Their bold trunks and graceful fronds create strong vertical lines. The space around their base is a canvas. Your goal is to enhance their beauty, not compete with it. You also need to consider practical stuff like root systems, water needs, and sunlight.

This is your core guide. The options break down into two main categories: living plants and non-living hardscape materials. Often, the most stunning designs use a mix of both.

Living Accents: The Best Plants to Pair with Palms

Plants are the most popular choice. They add color, texture, and a sense of abundance. But you must pick plants that are good neighbors.

Ground Covers and Grasses

These plants fill in the lower level, supress weeds, and prevent soil erosion. They create a “carpet” that makes the palm stand out.

Mondo Grass: A superb, low-maintenance choice. Its dark green, grass-like clumps form a tidy mat. Dwarf varieties are especially neat.
Liriope: Also called Lilyturf. It’s tough, handles shade or sun, and offers spiky foliage with pretty purple or white flower spikes in late summer.
Asian Jasmine: A fast-growing, vining ground cover with glossy green leaves. It fills large areas beautifully but needs occasional edging to keep it tidy.
Ornamental Grasses: Fountain grass or Muhly grass add movement and softness. Their feathery plumes contrast wonderfully with stiff palm fronds.

Flowering Perennials and Shrubs

Add splashes of color that come back year after year. Choose plants that enjoy similar growing conditions as your palm.

Bird of Paradise: A classic tropical partner. Its dramatic, bird-like flowers and banana-like leaves echo the exotic feel.
Hibiscus: For big, bold blooms. Tropical hibiscus loves the same warm climates as many palms. Hardy hibiscus varieties can work in cooler zones.
Bromeliads: These add incredible color and geometric form. They thrive in the dappled shade under palms and need very little soil.
Plumbago: A shrub that offers clouds of sky-blue flowers almost constantly. It’s drought-tolerant once established.
Society Garlic: Not just for cooking! It has grassy foliage and long-lasting lavender flower clusters. It’s also deer-resistant.

Succulents and Agaves

Perfect for a modern, low-water (xeriscape) design. Their sculptural forms create amazing contrast.

Agave: The bold rosettes of agave look stunning against a slender palm trunk. Choose sizes appropriate for your space.
Aloe: Spiky and architectural, with the bonus of handy gel inside the leaves. They flower with tall, colorful spikes.
Sedum and Stonecrop: Low-growing succulents that come in many colors. They’re excellent for hot, dry spots at the palm’s base.

Remember, the key is layering. Put taller shrubs behind, mid-size plants in the middle, and ground covers at the front. This creates depth and fullness.

Non-Living Materials: Hardscape and Mulch

Sometimes, plants aren’t the right answer. Hardscape materials offer clean lines, reduce maintenance, and highlight the palm’s trunk.

Mulch Options

Mulch is functional and attractive. It retains soil moisture, regulates temperature, and gives a finished look.

Bark Mulch: Natural and widely available. It breaks down slowly and enriches the soil. A dark brown mulch makes green plants pop.
Wood Chips: Similar to bark but chunkier. They create a more rustic, naturalistic appearance.
River Rock or Gravel: Excellent for drainage and a contemporary feel. Lighter-colored gravel brightens shady areas. Use a landscape fabric underneath to prevent weeds.
Nut Shells: Pecan or cocoa shell mulch has a rich color and pleasant scent. It mats together well to stay in place.

Decorative Rock and Stone

For a permanent, polished look. Stone work great in areas where water runoff or soil erosion is a concern.

You can use larger boulders as solitary accents. Or, use mid-size stones to create a dry riverbed effect around the palm. This is both beautiful and functional for directing rainwater.

Pavers and Tile

Creating a small patio or seating circle around a large palm tree is a fantastic idea. It turns the space into a usable outdoor room. Use pavers that leave gaps for water and air to reach the roots, or build the patio a few feet away from the trunk.

Critical Considerations Before You Start

Don’t just start digging! A few important steps will save you and your palm tree alot of trouble later.

Understanding Your Palm’s Roots

Palm roots are fibrous and grow in a dense ball, relatively close to the surface. They are not deeply invasive like some tree roots. This is good news! It means you can plant around them without to much fear of major root competition.

However, you must still be gentle. Avoid severing large roots. When digging planting holes, use a hand trowel, not a large shovel. Start digging farther from the trunk and work inward carefully.

Light and Water Requirements

Match the needs of your companion plants to the environment under your palm.

Full Sun Palms: If your palm (like a Canary Island Date Palm) has a high canopy that lets in full sun, you can use sun-loving plants like Lantana or Rosemary underneath.
Shady Understory: Many palms (like Queen Palms) have dense, low canopies that create deep shade. Here, you need shade-tolerant plants like Ferns, Cast Iron Plant, or Caladiums.
Water Needs: Group plants with similar thirst levels. Don’t put a drought-tolerant agave next to a water-loving fern. It makes irrigation a nightmare and one of them will suffer.

Maintenance Access

Leave space! You need to be able to get to the trunk to trim off old fronds (called “boots” or “skirts”). Don’t plant a thorny rose bush right where you need to stand. Also, ensure you can easily water the palm’s root zone, which is primarily within the dripline (the circle under the outermost fronds).

Step-by-Step: Planting Around an Established Palm

Follow these steps for a successful installation that keeps your palm healthy.

Clear the Area: Remove any existing weeds, grass, or debris from the area you want to plant.
Plan Your Layout: Arrange your potted plants on the surface while they’re still in their containers. Play with spacing and grouping until you like the look.
Dig Carefully: For each plant, dig a hole just as deep and twice as wide as the root ball. Keep the excavated soil in a pile.
Amend the Soil: Mix some compost or palm-specific fertilizer into the pile of excavated soil. This gives new plants a nutrient boost.
Plant and Backfill: Place the plant in the hole, ensuring it’s at the same depth it was in the pot. Fill in around it with your amended soil, gently firming it down.
Water Deeply: Soak the area thoroughly after planting to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets.
Apply Mulch: Spread 2-3 inches of your chosen mulch around the new plants, keeping it a few inches away from all plant stems and the palm trunk.

Design Themes for Inspiration

Not sure what style to choose? Here are a few popular themes to get your ideas flowing.

Tropical Oasis

Go lush and layered. Use large-leaf plants like Elephant Ears, colorful Crotons, and hanging vines. Add a layer of rich, dark mulch. The effect is dense, green, and vibrantly colored, just like a rainforest floor.

Modern Minimalist

Focus on clean lines and sculptural forms. Use a single type of large river rock as mulch. Add just one or two repeated elements, like a row of identical agaves or a geometric pattern of pavers. Less is definitly more here.

Desert Chic

Perfect for arid climates. Combine your palm with a variety of cacti, succulents, and decorative gravel. Use different shapes and sizes—tall columnar cacti, round barrel cacti, and sprawling sedums. The textures are incredible.

Coastal Casual

Evoke a beachy feel. Use driftwood pieces as accents. Plant hardy, salt-tolerant species like Sea Grape, Blanket Flower, or Beach Sunflower. A mulch of light tan shell or pebble complements the theme.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few wrong moves can harm your palm or ruin your design. Steer clear of these errors.

Piling Mulch Against the Trunk: This is called “volcano mulching” and it’s terrible. It traps moisture against the trunk, leading to rot and inviting pests. Always leave a mulch-free ring around the base.
Choosing Invasive Plants: Avoid plants that spread aggressively by runners or seeds. They will invade the root zone and become a constant battle. Do your research first.
Overwatering: Palms generally like deep, infrequent watering. Plants around them might need more. Water each zone appropriately to avoid root rot in the palm.
Ignoring Mature Size: That cute little shrub will grow. Planting too close to the trunk or each other leads to a overcrowded mess in a few years. Respect the plant’s tag and give it space to reach its full size.

FAQ Section

What is the best thing to put around palm trees?
There’s no single “best” thing. It depends on your style and climate. A combination of shade-tolerant ground covers like Mondo Grass with a layer of bark mulch is a classic, low-maintenance choice that works in many settings.

Can you put rocks around palm trees?
Yes, rocks are an excellent option. Use landscape fabric underneath to supress weeds. Lighter-colored rocks can brighten a dark area, and rocks provide excellent drainage. Just avoid piling them directly against the trunk.

What plants look good under palm trees?
Plants that thrive in dappled shade and have complementary textures look great. Popular choices include Bromeliads, Ferns, Bird of Paradise, Asiatic Jasmine, and certain types of Liriope. Always group plants with similar water needs.

Is it OK to put mulch around a palm tree?
Absolutely. Mulch is highly beneficial. It conserves water, cools the roots, and adds organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. The critical rule is to keep the mulch several inches away from the palm’s trunk to prevent rot.

How do you landscape around a palm tree trunk?
Start by assessing the light and space. Create layers: low ground covers near the trunk, mid-height plants further out, and maybe a taller accent shrub in the background. Use curves rather than straight lines for a more natural bed shape. Remember to leave access for palm maintenance.

Choosing what to put around your palm trees is a fun and creative project. It elevates your entire landscape. By considering your palm’s health needs first, then layering in plants and materials you love, you’ll create a stunning accent that feels cohesive and intentional. Take your time planning, and you’ll enjoy the results for years to come.