Plants that grow well under palm trees are species adapted to filtered sunlight, warm temperatures, and root competition. Palm trees usually create partial shade rather than deep darkness, allowing many tropical and shade-tolerant plants to thrive beneath them. These plants must also tolerate limited space and nutrients because palm roots occupy much of the surrounding soil.
The soil under palm trees is often sandy or well-drained, especially in warm climates where palms commonly grow. Plants that prefer loose, airy soil conditions tend to perform best. Many tropical understory plants naturally grow beneath taller trees in forests, making them well suited to the environment created by palms.
Shade-loving foliage plants are popular choices because they add texture and greenery while thriving in indirect light. Groundcovers and low-growing ornamentals help fill empty spaces and reduce soil erosion around palm roots. Plants with shallow or compact root systems establish more easily without disturbing the tree.
Moisture management is important when planting under palm trees. While palms may not create extremely dry conditions, nearby plants should tolerate occasional dryness between watering. Adding organic mulch helps retain soil moisture, regulate temperature, and improve soil quality over time.
Understanding Palm Tree Growing Conditions
Growing plants under palm trees presents distinct challenges including filtered but often intense light coming through the open canopy structure, dry conditions as palm roots efficiently extract moisture from shallow soil layers, sandy, well-drained soils typical of palm habitats, falling fronds and fruits that can damage delicate plants, and tropical heat that limits cool-season plants.
Unlike dense canopy trees, palms often provide dappled light rather than deep shade, creating conditions somewhat different from other tree understories. The open structure of most palms allows more light penetration than deciduous or coniferous trees, benefiting light-hungry tropical plants.
Plants That Grow Well Under Palm Trees
Bromeliads
Bromeliads are perfect companions for palm trees, thriving in the bright, filtered light and warm, humid conditions found under palm canopies. These tropical plants naturally grow as epiphytes on trees in their native habitats and adapt beautifully to the conditions created by palms.
Bromeliads include hundreds of varieties from compact ground-dwelling types to larger specimen plants, providing vibrant color through their foliage and exotic flower spikes.
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
Bird of paradise thrives under palm trees, enjoying the filtered tropical light and well-drained, warm soil conditions created by palm canopies. These dramatic plants produce spectacular orange and blue flowers resembling exotic birds and develop bold, paddle-shaped leaves that complement palm fronds beautifully.
Bird of paradise tolerates the sandy, well-drained soils typical of palm environments and handles drought once established.
Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile)
Agapanthus thrives under palm trees, appreciating the filtered light and warm, well-drained conditions found in palm understory environments. These South African natives produce strappy foliage and tall flower stalks topped with clusters of blue or white flowers in summer.
Agapanthus tolerates the dry conditions and sandy soil common in palm habitats and creates attractive, low-maintenance groundcover under palms.
Heliconia
Heliconias thrive in the warm, humid, filtered light conditions under palm trees and create spectacular tropical displays with their colorful bracts. These dramatic tropical plants produce lobster claw or pendant flower clusters in shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink that attract hummingbirds.
Heliconias require the warmth, humidity, and moisture that palm habitats provide and complement palm fronds with their large, banana-like leaves.
Philodendron
Philodendrons thrive under palm trees, enjoying the warm, filtered light and humid conditions created by palm canopies. These tropical plants range from compact ground-dwelling species to large climbing varieties that can ascend palm trunks while creating dramatic foliage displays.
Philodendron’s tolerance of varying light conditions from bright filtered to deeper shade makes it adaptable to different positions under palm canopies.
Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)
Crotons thrive in the warm, bright, filtered light conditions under palm trees and provide spectacular foliage color in tropical landscapes. These colorful shrubby plants produce leaves in combinations of red, orange, yellow, green, and purple that create vibrant tropical displays.
Crotons require the warmth and humidity typical of palm habitats and appreciate the filtered light that palm fronds provide, protecting them from the most intense afternoon sun.
Caladiums
Caladiums thrive in the warm, filtered, partially shaded conditions under palm trees and create spectacular foliage displays with minimal care. These tropical perennials produce heart-shaped leaves in combinations of red, pink, white, and green with intricate patterns and translucent qualities.
Caladiums appreciate the protection from intense direct sun that palm canopies provide while requiring the warm temperatures that palm habitats typically offer.
Ginger (Zingiber and Hedychium species)
Ornamental ginger species thrive under palm trees, appreciating the warm, humid, filtered conditions that palm canopies create. Shell ginger, torch ginger, and butterfly ginger produce dramatic foliage and spectacular fragrant flowers that complement palm fronds beautifully.
These tropical plants prefer the warmth and moisture typical of palm habitats and tolerate the filtered light under palm canopies.
Coontie (Zamia integrifolia)
Coontie is a native Florida cycad that naturally grows under palm trees and demonstrates exceptional adaptation to palm understory conditions. These ancient cycads produce attractive, dark green, fern-like fronds and tolerate drought, shade, and the sandy, well-drained soils typical of palm habitats.
Coontie’s native co-occurrence with palms in Florida scrub and hammock habitats demonstrates proven compatibility with palm understory conditions, and the attractive foliage, drought tolerance, and natural palm woodland association make coontie an outstanding native companion for palm trees.
Plumbago
Plumbago thrives in the warm, bright, filtered light conditions under palm trees and produces masses of sky blue or white flowers over a long season. These sprawling shrubs tolerate the sandy, well-drained soils and warm temperatures typical of palm habitats and benefit from the light filtering that palm fronds provide.
Plumbago’s drought tolerance once established and adaptability to various light conditions makes it reliable under palm canopies, and the abundant blue flowers, long bloom season, and adaptation to warm, tropical conditions make plumbago excellent under palms.
Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus)
Mondo grass thrives under palm trees, creating dense, low groundcover in the challenging conditions beneath palm canopies. These grass-like perennials tolerate drought, heat, and the sandy, well-drained soils typical of palm habitats while providing attractive, evergreen groundcover.
Mondo grass adapts to various light conditions from bright filtered to moderate shade under palms and requires minimal maintenance once established.
Liriope (Lilyturf)
Liriope thrives under palm trees, tolerating the heat, drought, and sandy conditions typical of palm habitats while providing attractive, low-maintenance groundcover. These grass-like perennials produce arching foliage and purple or white flower spikes in summer and adapt well to the filtered light conditions under palm canopies.
Liriope’s drought tolerance once established and adaptability to various light conditions from bright to moderate shade makes it reliable under various palm species.
Dwarf Bougainvillea
Dwarf bougainvillea varieties thrive under palm trees in bright, filtered light conditions and produce spectacular papery bracts in shades of red, pink, orange, or purple. These sprawling shrubs tolerate the heat, drought, and sandy soils typical of palm habitats and benefit from the filtered light that palm fronds provide.
Compact bougainvillea cultivars work especially well under palm canopies where they receive bright light while being protected from the most intense direct sun.
Pentas
Pentas thrives under palm trees in bright, filtered light conditions and produces clusters of star-shaped flowers that continuously attract butterflies and hummingbirds. These tropical perennials tolerate the heat and humidity typical of palm habitats and bloom prolifically throughout warm seasons.
Pentas appreciates the filtered light that palm fronds provide, protecting flowers from intense afternoon sun while still providing adequate light for flowering.
Gardenia
Gardenias thrive under palm trees where filtered light and warm temperatures create ideal conditions for their glossy foliage and intensely fragrant flowers. These evergreen shrubs require the warmth and humidity typical of tropical palm habitats and appreciate protection from harsh afternoon sun provided by palm fronds.
Gardenias produce large, intensely fragrant white flowers that perfume entire gardens and their preference for warm, filtered conditions matches palm understory environments.
Peacock Plant (Calathea)
Calathea species thrive in the warm, humid, filtered shade under palm trees and produce spectacular patterned foliage that rivals any tropical plant. These shade-loving tropical perennials produce leaves with intricate patterns in green, white, pink, and purple that add dramatic color to palm understory situations.
Calathea’s requirement for warm, humid conditions with filtered light perfectly matches the environment created by palm canopies, and the spectacular foliage patterns, tropical appearance, and adaptation to filtered palm shade make calatheas outstanding companions for palms in appropriate tropical settings.
Impatiens
Impatiens thrive in the warm, filtered shade conditions under palm trees and produce abundant colorful flowers with minimal care throughout warm seasons. These popular bedding plants appreciate the protection from intense direct sun that palm canopies provide while requiring the warm temperatures typical of palm habitats.
New Guinea impatiens tolerate brighter conditions while standard varieties prefer more shade, both adapting well to different positions under palm canopies.
Plumeria
Plumeria thrives in the warm, bright conditions near palm trees, appreciating similar sandy, well-drained soil and tropical heat requirements. These fragrant flowering trees produce spectacular blooms in shades of white, yellow, pink, and red with intense, exotic fragrance.
While plumerias prefer full sun, they adapt to bright filtered positions under open palm canopies and share the same tropical habitat requirements.
Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
Peace lily thrives in the warm, humid, filtered shade under palm trees and produces elegant white flowers in challenging tropical understory conditions. These popular tropical perennials tolerate lower light levels and warm temperatures characteristic of palm understory environments.
Spathiphyllum adapts to various light conditions from bright filtered to moderate shade and tolerates the warm, humid conditions of tropical and subtropical palm habitats.
Anthurium
Anthuriums thrive in the warm, humid, filtered light conditions under palm trees and produce spectacular waxy spathe flowers in shades of red, pink, white, and coral. These tropical perennials require the warmth and humidity typical of palm habitats and appreciate the filtered light that palm fronds provide.
Anthuriums prefer the dappled shade and warm conditions that palm understories create, and their long-lasting, waxy flowers add exotic color to tropical palm landscapes.
Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)
Turk’s cap thrives under palm trees in warm, filtered light conditions and produces distinctive red, partially open flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies throughout warm seasons. These native tropical shrubs tolerate heat, drought once established, and the sandy soils typical of palm habitats while thriving in filtered light conditions.
Turk’s cap’s tolerance of tropical conditions and adaptability to filtered light under palm canopies makes it a reliable hummingbird garden addition. The continuous red flowers, wildlife value, and adaptation to warm, tropical palm conditions make Turk’s cap excellent.
Ferns (Tropical Species)
Tropical fern species including Boston fern, macho fern, and sword fern thrive in the warm, humid, filtered conditions under palm trees. These lush, tropical ferns create dramatic textural contrasts with palm fronds and tolerate the heat, humidity, and variable moisture conditions typical of palm habitats.
Tropical ferns appreciate the filtered light and warmth that palm canopies provide and create natural-looking, lush groundcover beneath palms.
Variegated Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet)
Variegated shell ginger thrives under palm trees, appreciating the warm, humid, filtered conditions that palm canopies create. This spectacular ornamental ginger produces bold, variegated green and yellow striped leaves that create dramatic tropical displays and fragrant white and pink flowers hanging in pendulous clusters.
Variegated shell ginger’s tolerance of the heat, humidity, and filtered light conditions typical of palm habitats makes it a reliable and dramatic companion.
Balsam Impatiens (Touch-Me-Not)
Balsam impatiens thrives in the warm, filtered, partially shaded conditions under palm trees and produces colorful flowers in shades of red, pink, white, and purple.
These tropical annuals or short-lived perennials appreciate the warm temperatures and filtered light that palm canopies provide, protecting flowers from the most intense tropical sun while maintaining the warmth they require.