Rhapis excelsa | Lady Palm 5ltr (Medium)

nce hugely popular as a potted indoor palm, these days the Lady Palm seems all but forgotten. It's virtually absent from most garden centres and I'm not sure why. They're fabulous.

Its distinctive oriental-looking fingered leaves and legendary tolerance of low light, abuse and neglect makes this a no-brainer of a houseplant. Slow growing to begin with, it picks up speed as it ages. It can certainly be planted outdoors in NZ but needs at least part-shade and a well-sheltered spot out of the wind to look its best. And don't let up on the watering. Once it's a bit older and more robust it makes a great hedge plant that will succeed in nearly all warm-temperate climates (mature specimens even tolerate a few degrees of frost).

The Lady Palm was super popular worldwide for a hundred years or more -- give it a try and you'll see why. It's time for a Lady Palm revival.