New Mexico is the perfect place to grow cold-hardy, drought-tolerant palm trees that will thrive in hot summers.
However, many palm trees are not well-suited to NM’s semi-arid climate. Even with irrigation, many will suffer from leaf scorch due to the low humidity.
This is because most are native to tropical and subtropical environments with much higher humidity and relatively high water requirements.
After seeing firsthand which palms do well and which don’t, here is a list of nine palm trees for New Mexico that should thrive in any of our New Mexico growing zones.
9 Palm Trees That Will Grow and Thrive in New Mexico
1. Jelly Palm – Butia capitata and Butia odorata
Jelly Palms are small to medium-sized palms with a stout trunk and light blue-green to gray-green feather-like leaves on long stalks armed with spiny teeth.
They produce large, orange-yellow, berry-like drupes that are sweet and taste a bit like pineapple. These are often harvested and made into delicious jellies.
Jelly Palms are a great choice for the more southern parts of NM because they will tolerate the high heat, drought, salt, and slightly alkaline soils there.
These palms can easily grow in full sun to partial shade in almost any type of soil, provided it is well-drained to avoid root rot.
The Jelly Palm also does well in containers, making it possible for those below USDA Zone 8 to grow them outdoors in the summer and bring them indoors in the winter.
For more information, you can learn to identify Jelly Palm.
Other Common Names: Pindo Palm
USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 11 outdoors, 4 – 8 patio
Average Size at Maturity: 6 – 20 ft (to 33 ft) tall, 10 – 15 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers in early spring, edible fruits mature mid to late summer.
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
2. Mediterranean Dwarf Palm – Chamaerops humilis
Mediterranean Dwarf Palm is a short-stemmed palm with blue-green to silver-green fan-like leaves on long stalks armed with needle-like spines.
It is a more cold-hardy palm that is also tolerant of high heat, alkaline (and acidic) soils, drought, wind, salt, partial shade, and poor soils, making it another fantastic choice for New Mexico.
Mediterranean Dwarf Palm trees are can even be established in a xeriscape garden.
When growing in USDA Zone 7 or 8, it is recommended not to prune off the old leaves until after the winter ends since these will protect them from the cold temperatures.
The Mediterranean Dwarf Palm works well as an accent tree in parks, yards, and roadsides, where its dwarf size makes it suitable for planting under powerlines.
If you want more information, you can also learn how to identify the Mediterranean Dwarf Palm.
Other Common Names: European Fan Palm, Mediterranean Fan Palm
USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 11
Average Size at Maturity: 6 – 15 ft (to 20 ft) tall, 6 – 10 ft (to 20 ft) spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers from April to May; inedible fruits ripen in early fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
3. Dwarf Palmetto Palm – Sabal minor
Dwarf Palmetto Palm is a trunkless or short-trunked fan palm native throughout the southeastern USA.
While it prefers moist, organic soils, it is a very hardy palm able to grow in any soil type, including sand, clay, acidic, alkaline, or occasionally wet. It tolerates frost, freezing, drought, and poorly drained soils.
Dwarf Palmetto Palm performs very well anywhere in the southern half of NM, except the higher altitudes in the Sacramento Mountains, but it would grow very well in the foothills.
This palm is best grown in full sun to light shade, and it will perform best if topdressed with organic matter each spring.
Water your Dwarf Palmetto Palm during the establishment phase, but it is generally not required afterward. However, in the most arid areas of the southwest, occasional water may be required if it starts to look stressed after months without rain.
Learn to identify Dwarf Palmetto Palm.
Other Common Names: Dwarf Palmetto, Bush Palmetto
USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 10
Average Size at Maturity: 2 – 7 ft tall, 2 – 5 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers bloom in May; edible fruits ripen in late summer
4. California Fan Palm – Washingtonia filifera
The California Palm is closely related to and resembles the extremely popular Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) but only grows to about ⅔ of the height.
From personal observations in New Mexico, the Mexican Fan Palm, even when irrigated, can suffer leaf scorch because it prefers a more humid climate than found in NM.
On the other hand, the California Palm is both more cold-hardy and grows naturally in more semi-arid climates.
Its fan-shaped leaves have a waxy coating that makes them more tolerant of low humidity, allowing them to remain green without scorching, making it a far better choice for NM.
California Fan Palm should be watered for the first few years until fully established. Then, watering can cease unless the tree shows signs of stress during long periods of drought.
Learn how to identify and differentiate the California Fan Palm from the Mexican Fan Palm.
Other Common Names: California Palm, Desert Fan Palm, Arizona Fan Palm, and American Cotton Palm
USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 11
Average Size at Maturity: 40 – 60 ft tall, 10 – 20 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers in July – August; edible fruits ripen in September
5. Windmill Palm – Trachycarpus fortunei
The Windmill Palm is a single-stemmed fan palm of variable height that has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years.
Its fan-like leaves spread out in a windmill shape, giving it its name, and its trunk is rough and fibrous.
Windmill Palm is a cold-hardy palm surviving short periods of freezing down to 5 F, making it a great choice for most places in the southern half of NM, including the desert foothills.
It is easy to grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade and tolerates drought, wind, and salt.
However, if the soil is too alkaline, this can cause yellowing of the leaves.
Birds and wildlife readily spread their seeds, and there is some concern they could become invasive. The semi-arid climate of NM makes this less likely there, however.
For more information, you can learn to Identify the Windmill Palm.
Other Common Names: Chinese Windmill Palm, Chusan Palm, and Nepalese Fan Palm
USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 11
Average Size at Maturity: 8 – 30 ft (to 66 ft) tall, 4 – 6 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers bloom June – August; inedible fruits ripen in mid-fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
6. Canary Island Date Palm – Phoenix canariensis
The Canary Island Date Palm is a tall palm with a thick trunk with attractive, diamond-shaped leaf scar patterns and graceful, bluish-green, arching feather-like leaves.
Though it is called a date palm, and its fruits are somewhat edible, these are not the date palms that we eat.
Since the Canary Island Date Palm is heat-tolerant and prefers alkaline soil, even highly alkaline soil, it’s a great choice for southern New Mexico.
It also takes well to container growing in cooler climates, bringing it indoors for the winter.
Once established, Canary Island Date Palm is drought-tolerant but may need occasional watering during the long, hot, dry summer to keep it looking healthy.
For additional winter protection, do not prune off the dead leaves until after the last frost.
Canary Island Date Palm made the invasive species list in California.
For more information, learn how to identify the Canary Island Date Palm.
Other Common Names: Canary Palm, Canary Date Palm, Phoenix Palm, and Pineapple Palm
USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 11 outdoors, 4 – 8 patio
Average Size at Maturity: 33 – 66 ft (to 131 ft) tall, 20 – 40 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers bloom in late spring or early summer; somewhat edible fruits ripen mid-fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees
7. Mexican Blue Palm – Brahea armata
The Mexican Blue Palm is a unique, heat-loving palm with beautiful, intensely silver-blue fan-shaped leaves coated with a waxy layer, making them highly suited to desert climates.
It also thrives in alkaline soils, making it a perfect choice for southern New Mexico soils.
Mexican Blue Palm is only mildly cold-tolerant (to 14 °F), so it performs very well outdoors in southwestern NM. However, it also grows well in a pot and can be grown in cooler climates if brought indoors in winter.
Being a desert native, it is best grown in full sun and is drought-tolerant once established, although occasional watering is recommended during extended droughts.
The leaves are best left on the Mexican Blue Palm during the winter to help protect it from cold temperatures.
During the summer, you can also enjoy the gorgeous, fragrant white flowers that grow in huge inflorescences that hang below the leaves.
Other Common Names: Blue Hesper Palm, Blue Palm, Sweet Brahea Palm, Gray Goddess, Palma Blanca, and Palmera Azul
USDA Growing Zones: 8b – 11
Average Size at Maturity: 30 – 40 ft tall, 10 – 15 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers appear in spring or summer, followed by somewhat edible fruits in late summer or early fall
8. Sago Palm – Cycas revoluta
The Sago Palm resembles a small dwarf palm tree, but it is actually a very slow-growing ancient gymnosperm that evolved from a now-extinct line of seed ferns.
They are dioecious, with separate male and female plants that produce large unique cones instead of flowers or fruits.
The Sago Palm has an exceptionally symmetrical rosette of feather-like glossy green leaves. Do not remove the older leaves until they are brown and shriveled, as these not only protect it from the cold it also is part of its natural method to conserve nutrients.
While it prefers organic, well-drained soil in partial shade, it will tolerate full sun, various soil types, and drought.
Sago Palm will grow well outdoors in southern NM if amended with organic matter. You can also grow it in a pot on your patio, bringing it indoors for winter.
For more information, you can learn to identify Sago Palm.
Other Common Names: Japanese Sago Palm, King Sago Palm, and Sago Cycad
USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 11 outdoors or 4 – 8 patio
Average Size at Maturity: 1.6 – 7 ft (to 10 ft) tall, 1.6 – 5 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Once mature, cones only appear every 3 – 4 years from April – June
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees
9. Needle Palm – Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Needle Palm is possibly the most cold-tolerant palm in the world, surviving strong freezes down to -5 °F and even to -15 °F with damage they may recover from if the following summer is hot.
This makes it a perfect choice for northern New Mexico or high in the southern mountains. However, unlike the palms above, it shouldn’t be planted in the southern lowlands because it prefers moist, organic, and acidic soil.
It will perform best in cold winters if mulched and planted in a location where it is protected from winds.
Although Needle Palm tolerates high temperatures and full sun, it prefers partial shade, which would also help compensate for the lower humidity.
Needle Palm is vulnerable and imperiled in most of its range, partly due to wild harvesting, so please purchase nursery-grown stock from a reputable seller.
You can also learn how to identify the Needle Palm.
Other Common Names: Porcupine Palm
USDA Growing Zones: 5 – 11
Average Size at Maturity: 8 – 10 ft tall, 8 – 10 ft spread
Flowering / Fruiting Season: Flowers emerge in late spring or early summer but often remain hidden beneath the leaves; inedible fruits ripen in late summer or early fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees
Table Comparing Palm Trees in New Mexico
Here is a detailed table comparing Palm trees in New Mexico, including details about their USDA growing zones, and average sizes at maturity:
Palm Tree Type | USDA Growing Zones | Average Size at Maturity |
---|---|---|
Jelly Palm | 8 – 11 outdoors, 4 – 8 patio | 6 – 20 (to 33) ft tall, 10 – 15 ft spread |
Mediterranean Dwarf Palm | 7 – 11 | 6 – 15 (to 20) ft tall, 6 – 10 (to 20) ft spread |
Dwarf Palmetto Palm | 7 – 10 | 2 – 7 ft tall, 2 – 5 ft spread |
California Fan Palm | 8 – 11 | 40 – 60 ft tall, 10 – 20 ft spread |
Windmill Palm | 7 – 11 | 8 – 30 (to 66) ft tall, 4 – 6 ft spread |
Canary Island Date Palm | 8 – 11 outdoors, 4 – 8 patio | 33 – 66 (to 131) ft tall, 20 – 40 ft spread |
Mexican Blue Palm | 8b – 11 | 30 – 40 ft tall, 10 – 15 ft spread |
Sago Palm | 8 – 11 outdoors, 4 – 8 patio | 1.6 – 7 (to 10) ft tall, 1.6 – 5 ft spread |
Needle Palm | 5 – 11 | 8 – 10 ft tall, 8 – 10 ft spread |
Perfect Cold-Hardy, Drought-Tolerant Palm Trees That Will Thrive in New Mexico
New Mexico is the perfect place for growing palm trees, providing that they can handle low humidity, drought, and alkaline soils.
Fortunately, as you have seen, we have some beautiful options!
You may have noticed many of the palms suggested have blue-green or glossy green leaves. This is from waxy layers that help protect them from drought and low humidity while still remaining green (or blue!).
I hope this has inspired you to grow some palms in your yard, I know I plan to start shopping for mine today!
If you want to learn more about palm trees, I encourage you to check out 30 Different Types of Palm Trees & Their Identifying Features.
“Life is better with palm trees.” – Unknown
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