Driveways

The key to good driveway planting are tall stately palms with bare trunks and fronds kept well above eyelevel.  There are two broad choices when planting a driveway; using just one species or mixing two or more species.  Whilst the former approach is ideal for a formal driveway there is of course the risk that in 20 years time one of the palms dies.  Mixed planting can much more easily hide such a disaster.

Particularly suitable tall palms include the Bangalow or King palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and A. alexandrae), Kentias (Howea forsteriana) and Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana).  The latter two being much more tolerant of wind and chills.  For a more Californian look consider Washingtonia robusta.

A mixed planting might include some of the above palms as well as lower growing species such as the Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea microspadix) the Dwarf Palmetto palm (Sabal minor) and the Sugarcane palm (Dypsis baronii).