Palm trees & privacy plantings
Palms, planted right.
Palms are the backbone of a tropical yard. They set the height, cast the shade and frame the house. Craig has some of the best palm-nursery access around, which means better trees — and the crew knows how to set them so they thrive.
- Sarasota & Manatee County
- Free on-site estimate
- You deal with the owner
The tree you choose, and how it goes in.
A great palm planted badly will sulk for years. Depth, root ball, bracing and the first months of watering decide whether a palm takes off or slowly declines.
Larger specimens get set with equipment, not muscle — so the root ball arrives intact and the trunk goes in straight.
Palms worth knowing here.
Foxtail palms give a full, bushy head and grow fast — great in rows along a front yard. Christmas palms (Adonidia) are compact and tidy for entries and side yards. Sabal palms, Florida’s state tree, are about as tough as palms get. Coconut palms say “Gulf coast” like nothing else but are more cold-tender. Areca palms clump and make a dense, fast privacy screen. Date palms bring drama and size.
The right choice depends on the space overhead, the distance to the roof line and the pool cage, salt exposure and how much frond-drop you’re willing to live with.
A green wall instead of a fence.
Clumping palms and dense shrubs planted along a back line or outside a pool cage turn an open view of the neighbors into a wall of green — softer than a fence, and often allowed where a taller fence isn’t.
Spacing is the trick: tight enough to close up, loose enough that each plant gets light and air.
Worth knowing before the visit
- 01
Depth
Palms planted too deep struggle. The root ball goes in at the depth it grew in the nursery — no deeper.
- 02
Season
Palms root best in warm soil, so late spring through summer is a good time to plant — and summer rain helps with watering.
- 03
Feeding
Florida’s sandy soils are short on what palms need. A palm-specific fertilizer helps prevent the yellowing and frizzled fronds you see around town.
- 04
Clearance
Think about the palm at full size: roof lines, pool cages, power lines and the neighbor’s roof.
What Ann and David Vozzolo wrote
As a result of his experience and vision he designed a beautiful front yard that truly compliments our home, incorporating trees and plantings we had not initially considered.
From Craig's projects
Photos of Craig's finished work, from the original Sarasota Landscaping Inc. showcase and his newer jobs. Tap any photo to see it larger.
01Foxtail palm being set into place with a machine during an install 02Two-story home framed by newly planted palms and layered tropical beds 03Coconut palms in a curved mulched bed beside a brick-paver driveway 04After: the same home with a row of foxtail palms, crotons and fresh mulch beds sweeping around the lawn 05Palms installed at a condominium property 06Commercial palm planting with fresh beds 07Backyard along a wood fence with palms, rock-edged mulch beds, a gravel sitting area with a bench and a stepping-stone path 08Block retaining wall holding a raised bed of palms and new plants beside a screened pool enclosure
Palm Trees: common questions
01Can you install large palms?
02When is the best time to plant palms?
03Which palms are good for privacy?
04Can you remove an old or dying palm?
Related services
- 01
Landscape Installation
Full front- and back-yard redos: tear-out, beds, palms, plants, rock, sod — installed by one crew.
Read more - 02
Landscape Design
Designed on your property, around your house, your light and the way you use the yard.
Read more - 03
Landscape Lighting
Up-lit palms, lit paths and a yard that looks as good at 9 p.m. as it does at noon.
Read more
Free on-site estimate.
Say what the job is and the city. Craig will set a time to walk the property.