UMBRELLA PALM

CYPERUS

The umbrella palm is grown for its shape and its light, airy foliage, which resembles the spokes of an umbrella. This is an elegant plant that thrives in boggy, marshy soil in its native environment. If you’re often guilty of watering plants too much, the umbrella palm is ideal for you.

HEIGHT 5ft (1.5m)

SPREAD 24in (60cm)

FLOWERS Insignificant

FOLIAGE Radiating, straplike

LIGHT Filtered sun/light shade

TEMPERATURE 50–70°F (10–21°C)

CARE Fairly easy

PLACE OF ORIGIN Subtropical and South Africa

CARE

Some gardeners are tempted to keep their umbrella palm outside during the summer months, but this is a tender plant that needs the warmth of indoors to survive in fall and winter. It will flourish in a moist environment in filtered sun or light shade, making it a fairly easy plant to place in the home.

The umbrella palm is classified as an aquatic plant and its roots can withstand being submerged in water—it’s therefore virtually impossible to overwater. Plant the umbrella palm in commercial potting mix. Keep it soaked and place a dish full of water under the container. Mist the leaves regularly. Feed a couple of times during the spring and summer months with a balanced liquid plant food and prune off any dead stems to keep the plant in top condition.

PROBLEM SOLVING As the potting mix the umbrella plant is growing in is constantly moist, it’s not unusual for the container to begin to smell. Resolve this issue by repotting in spring and adding charcoal to the potting mix.

Mealybugs can sometimes be a problem with this plant. Check regularly for the pests on the underside of the leaves or in the leaf joints. As this is a water-loving plant, you can try to remove the mealybugs by blasting the leaves of the plant with a jet of water—a task that’s best done outside.

The umbrella palm is classed as an aquatic plant and needs regular watering.

DISPLAY

The umbrella palm looks striking in a decorative pot with a matching saucer. It’s a water-loving plant that will happily stand in water, so if you’re planning an indoor water feature in your home, it makes a spectacular indoor display when lit up at night from below with underwater lights

This is not an easy plant to find a partner for as very few plants can cope with such moist potting mix. Mind-your-own-business is a rare exception: this low-growing plant offers a total contrast in shape and size to the umbrella plant but it also enjoys generous watering, making it an ideal companion.

Houseplants A–Z | UMBRELLA PALM

ALSO TRY

If you enjoy watering plants, it makes sense to focus on those that benefit from the attention. Carnivorous plants are thirsty in spring and summer: their roots must be moist, not soaked in water. Why not try:

• Monkey cups (Nepenthes hybrids), height 12in (30cm). Attractive, dark red pitchers dangle from these carnivores.
• North American pitcher plants (Sarracenia species and hybrids), height 12in (30cm). These plants have decorative and striking upright pitchers.

Monkey cups’ pitchers hold nectar that insects are drawn to but drown in.