FALL IS THE PERFECT SEASON FOR PLANTING PALM TREES!

Windmill Palms have a rather slender single stem that is 8 to 10 inches in diameter and is typically a bit narrower at the base than at the top. The trunks of the Windmill Palms are usually covered with a loose mat of coarse gray or brown fiber. In older Windmill Palms the fiber sloughs away to reveal a smooth ringed surface.   The Windmill Palm, also commonly called Chusan Palm, has light to dark green palmate leaves that are lighter, almost silvery on the underside. They are held on thin 3 foot flattened stems that are finely toothed along both edges. The Windmill Palm has leaves that are circular, about 3 feet in diameter and segmented about halfway. They are flat with leaf segment tips held stiffly, but occasionally you will see individuals with droopy tips. The leaves are arranged into a symmetrical crown that is about 8 to 10 feet wide. Windmill Palms grown in full sun and/or under poor conditions may have much smaller, more compact crowns.  Windmill palms do best in well drained soils with above average fertility but it will survive in almost anything except perpetually soggy conditions. The Windmill Palm is moderately salt tolerant and can be planted behind the first line dunes or against a structure that will shield it from direct exposure to sea breezes.  Partial shade is best.  Adequate moisture makes for rapid growth and best appearance but the Windmill Palm is amazingly drought tolerant as well (although plants will appear stunted and growth rate dramatically slowed if regular watering is withheld).