Veitchia Palm

The Manila palm (Adonidia merrillii, long sold as Veitchia), a clean grey trunk ringed like bamboo, a smooth green crownshaft, and a crown of arching feather fronds. At 220cm in a 50cm pot it has the proportions of a drawing: all stem, then all leaf. One of the few palms that reads as a design piece rather than foliage.Tidier than a kentia and faster than a date palm, it holds its shape without fuss and does not shed.Best space and placeA bright room with some direct sun for part of the day; an atrium, a stairwell, a tall window. Give the crown clearance, it is wider than the trunk suggests.When to water and feedKeep the compost evenly moist through spring and summer, a little drier in winter. Feed monthly in the growing months.Need to knowIt wants warmth: 15°C minimum, no cold draughts. Brown tips are usually dry air; mist or group it with other plants. Safe around pets.