The Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) is one of our favourite plants for use in office plantscapes. It is a very showy palm, with dark green, glossy leaves. The leaves are produced from multiple sturdy canes that are covered in unique brown fibrous material. New canes shoot from rhizomes in the soil, so the plant grows in width as well as height. This is one of the few indoor plants that we can purchase at a very large size. Specimens of 12-18ft are available and look great in large, open atriums.
One of its main advantages is that it is a relatively slow growing plant. This means it will look great for years with little pruning. Because of its slow growth, it does tend to be a bit more pricey than other types of plants. It takes 4-7 years to grow this plant to 4-5ft, which is the height we typically look for when choosing plants at the nursery for a project. This tree is well worth the slightly higher cost. It is also quite disease and pest resistant, and can tolerate the lower light and humidity levels typically found in an office.
Proper care of the Lady Palm is critical. It needs to be in well-drained soil to prevent rotting of the rhizomes and roots. This plant is grown commercially mainly in Florida and Hawaii. The Hawaiian plants are grown in lava rock, which holds moisture but allows very good drainage. Hawaiian grown Lady Palms are spectacular. This palm needs to be kept moist. It does extremely well in a container with a sub-irrigation system. It is best to allow it dry out slightly between waterings, but the soil should be moist just below the surface at all time. Overwatering quickly causes the leaves to turn black on the ends. A small amount of brown at the very tips of the leaves is normal for this plant. It does best in indirect natural light, such as close to a north or east window. Too much light will burn the leaves and cause them to be a light green, not a healthy deep green. Fertilize indoor Lady Palms once per month from February through to November.