Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How Fast Will a Majesty Palm Grow Outside?

Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images

Majesty palms (Ravenea spp.) are a busy mom’s best friend: lush, exotic-looking and quite tolerant, they will provide years of service and require little labor in the home landscape. Generally the rate at which majesty palm grows is dependent on species, over which topic there is some confusion. Since there are two main species, one of which grows markedly taller and the other of which grows faster, be sure to distinguish between them before planting.

Identification

Usually majesty palms are identified as Ravenea rivularis. However, Ravenea glauca may also be labeled majesty palm or "mini majesty." Both likely hail from Madagascar, where they grow as understory plants, doing well in the partial or dappled shade beneath larger tropical trees. Because they take so well to containers and tolerate shade, majesty palms also grow well indoors. They are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11 and do not tolerate frost; if freezes are a possibility in your area, grow them in containers and overwinter indoors.

  • Majesty palms (Ravenea spp.)
  • They are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11 and do not tolerate frost; if freezes are a possibility in your area, grow them in containers and overwinter indoors.

Ravenea Rivularis

Ravenea rivularis has a moderate growth rate, and may grow only a foot or so per year. Although it usually tops out between 20 to 40 feet or so in the home landscape, estimates of its maximum height in the wild range from 60 to 80 feet. If your palm has been showing signs of distress or is losing fronds and therefore height, it may be because of transplanting. Majesty palms are very sensitive to moves and, once moved, may not do well in sunlight again.

Ravenea Glauca

This majesty palm grows faster than Ravenea rivularis. Its rapid growth rate means it can add upwards of 24 inches to its height in a single growing season. Because of this, it isn’t as suited to a small outdoor landscape as its counterpart. However, despite its faster rate of growth, it is a shorter specimen, usually growing to only 15 or 20 feet. Therefore you can use it to quickly fill smaller gaps in the landscape.

  • Ravenea rivularis has a moderate growth rate, and may grow only a foot or so per year.
  • However, despite its faster rate of growth, it is a shorter specimen, usually growing to only 15 or 20 feet.

Culture and Uses

These single-stem palms with their wide canopy of swaying fronds make for good specimen pieces and also do well grouped in a mass planting or used as a screen. Some compare these palms to “living sculptures,” so site them appropriately either in the garden or the home, in a place where they will receive partial shade. Water them only when soil becomes dried out, otherwise you risk root rot.

Related Articles

How to Make Money Selling Palm Trees
How to Make Money Selling Palm Trees
How to Plant a Mexican Fan Palm Tree
How to Plant a Mexican Fan Palm Tree
The Growth Rate of the Sylvester Palm
The Growth Rate of the Sylvester Palm
Care for Majestic Palm
Care for Majestic Palm
Outdoor Care of Majesty Palm Trees
Outdoor Care of Majesty Palm Trees
Care of Majesty Palm Trees
Care of Majesty Palm Trees
How to Care for a Kentia Palm
How to Care for a Kentia Palm
How to Plant Queen Palm Trees in Containers
How to Plant Queen Palm Trees in Containers
How to Take Care of a Mexican Fan Palm
How to Take Care of a Mexican Fan Palm
How to Divide a Ponytail Palm
How to Divide a Ponytail Palm
How to Care for a New Foxtail Palm
How to Care for a New Foxtail Palm
How to Plant a Queen Palm
How to Plant a Queen Palm
What Palm Has Three Trunks?
What Palm Has Three Trunks?
How to Care for an Areca Palm Tree
How to Care for an Areca Palm Tree
How to Remove Palm Stumps
How to Remove Palm Stumps
Garden Guides
×