Chamaerops humilis

Chamaerops humilis, the European fan palm, is a tough, evergreen palm forming clumps of multiple stems topped with rounded, fan-shaped green leaves that give strong architectural character. Slow-growing and compact by palm standards, it suits containers or a sunny, welldrained border, lending a Mediterranean feel. It thrives in full sun (tolerating light shade) and freedraining soil; established plants cope well with summer dryness. In colder areas provide shelter from harsh, drying winds and protect during severe or prolonged frosts; in milder regions it can be grown outdoors yearround.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Full sun to light shade Rate of Growth: Slow Soil: Moist but well-drained to well-drained soil Hardiness: Hardy in most UK regions; protect from severe or prolonged frost Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Plant at a Glance

foliage:evergreen
leafcolour:green
light:sun
light:light-shade
facing:south
facing:west
facing:east
facing:north
soiltype:light-sandy
soiltype:moderate-fertile
soiltype:chalky
soilmoisture:normal
soilmoisture:dry-sandy
size:2m-5m
gardenstyle:architectural
gardenstyle:mediterranean
specialconditions:tolerates-drought

Dwarf hardy palm 60cm x 1m. Fan-shaped evergreen leaves 45cm wide. Hardy even in an open field in the English Midlands. Seed collected Palazzia Acreide, 670m alt, Sicily