Date palm

Sun

Full sun; fruit production needs prolonged summer heat.

Water

Water deeply while establishing. Established palms tolerate drought, but regular deep watering supports better growth and fruit; avoid constantly wet soil.

Soil

Deep, well-drained sandy or loamy soil; tolerates alkaline conditions and some salinity, but not waterlogging.

Height

50-80 ft (15-24 m)

Spread

20-40 ft (6-12 m)

Flowers

Small cream to pale yellow flowers in branching clusters, usually in spring; male and female flowers grow on separate plants.

Foliage

Evergreen. Long, arching, feather-shaped grey-green to blue-green fronds with stiff leaflets; the lowest leaflets form sharp spines near the leaf stalk base.

Growth

Slow to moderate, faster with sustained heat and adequate water.

Care needed

Medium

• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   8 ft (2.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   10 ft (3.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   13 ft (4.1 m)

4. After 3 years

   16 ft (4.9 m)

5. After 5 years

   22 ft (6.6 m)

About 20 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Invasive in

Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant in warm weather where the full crown can develop clear of buildings, overhead wires and busy paths.
• Water the root zone deeply, then let the surface soil dry; keep irrigation away from the crown.
• Apply a palm fertiliser containing magnesium and micronutrients during active growth, following local guidance and label rates.
• Mulch the root zone lightly, leaving the trunk base uncovered.
• For fruit, use a named female propagated from an offshoot or tissue culture and arrange compatible male pollen; seed-grown palms have unpredictable sex and fruit quality.
• Keep container plants in very bright light and move them under frost-free cover before cold weather.

Pruning. In late spring or early summer, remove only dead, broken or fully brown fronds and unwanted flower or fruit stalks; leave healthy green fronds intact. Wear eye protection and heavy gloves around the spines, and use a qualified arborist for tall palms.

Spring

Check for winter damage and resume feeding once active growth begins.

Spring

If growing fruit, hand-pollinate receptive female flowers with male pollen; flowering time varies with climate.

Late spring

Plant or repot when the soil is warm, keeping the palm at its previous planting depth.

Summer

Water deeply during dry spells and inspect the crown and fronds for pests.

Late summer to autumn

Harvest dates as they reach the ripeness appropriate to the variety; remove fallen fruit.

Autumn

Move container plants into bright, frost-free shelter in cool climates.

Winter

Keep sheltered container plants on the dry side without letting the root ball dry out completely.

• Use as a tall focal point in a spacious gravel garden with low, drought-tolerant planting.
• Plant in widely spaced rows along a broad drive or avenue for a formal rhythm.
• Combine with agaves, aloes and ornamental grasses for contrasting leaf shapes in hot, dry gardens.
• Use young container specimens on sunny terraces where winter shelter is available.
• Include fruiting females in a warm-climate edible landscape, with room for harvesting and fallen fruit.

Garden styles it suits: Architectural minimal, Modern Mediterranean, Desert modern, Moroccan, Desert / xeriscape and Edible landscape.

Plant it with: Agave, Aloe, Red yucca, Rosemary, Lavender and Deer grass.

Wildlife: Flowers attract insects, and ripe or fallen dates feed birds and mammals. Remove unwanted fruit where it attracts rodents or encourages seedlings.

• Root or crown rot: improve drainage, avoid frequent shallow watering and keep water out of the crown; severely rotted palms may need removal.
• Potassium or magnesium deficiency: older fronds develop spotting or yellow bands; use a balanced palm fertiliser rather than removing affected green fronds or applying isolated nutrients indiscriminately.
• Palm weevils: larvae tunnel inside the trunk or crown, causing holes, oozing or collapse; seek prompt local advice because treatment and reporting requirements vary by region.
• Cold injury: fronds brown and the growing point may be damaged after hard freezes; protect small specimens and choose a warmer site rather than relying on repeated winter recovery.

Phoenix dactylifera is not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people, and ripe date flesh is edible. Hard pits can cause choking or intestinal blockage if swallowed, and the sharp leaf-base spines can cause serious puncture wounds.

Where it spreads. Naturalised date palms can spread aggressively along waterways and around springs in arid central Australia, particularly in the Northern Territory. Avoid planting near natural watercourses there and remove volunteer seedlings.

• Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis)

  Usually has a much thicker trunk and a denser crown of deeper green fronds; its small fruits have little edible flesh.

• Silver date palm (Phoenix sylvestris)

  Often has a solitary trunk and a dense crown of shorter, silvery fronds; true date palm commonly produces basal offshoots. Hybrids can make identification difficult.

• Pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii)

  Much smaller, with a slender trunk and shorter, softer-looking green fronds; it does not develop the massive crown of a mature true date palm.

The epithet dactylifera means 'finger-bearing', referring to the elongated fruits, and the common name date also traces to the Greek word for finger.

Propagation. Commercial fruiting varieties are propagated from basal offshoots or by specialist tissue culture. Seeds germinate in warmth but do not reproduce the parent variety, and seedlings may be male or female; separating large offshoots is best left to experienced growers.

Accepted botanical name

Phoenix dactylifera

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Hawaii, the lower 48 states and Pacific Basin.

Native range

Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Measured

Average height 3000 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.