Areca palm

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

The areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) is one of the best indoor palms, and the grower rates it as a houseplant. He does not recommend it for outdoor planters, but indoors, in a pot in bright indirect light, it is a graceful, easy foliage plant that can be kept well below its natural height for years.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A snug, deep pot – arecas resent being over-potted; pot up gradually
• Indoor Suitability: An excellent houseplant for a bright, warm room
• Best Spot: Full shade to bright, indirect light – no harsh direct sun, which scorches the fronds
• Soil & Drainage: Free-draining palm or potting mix that holds a little moisture
• Watering in Pots: Average to generous – keep evenly moist, never soggy or bone dry

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant: A genuine indoor palm. It thrives in bright, indirect light with warmth and humidity; group it or mist to keep the fronds from browning at the tips.
• Keeping it in scale: Grown in a pot and given moderate light it grows slowly and stays far smaller than its outdoor height for many years.
• Keep it warm: Keep it out of cold draughts and away from cold glass in winter.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Not for permanent planters: The grower does not recommend it for outdoor planters; if you stand it out in warm weather, keep it in bright shade, shelter it from wind and sun, and bring it back in before cold.
• Practicalities: Turn the pot occasionally so it grows evenly, and rinse the fronds to keep them clean.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: A deep pot with strong drainage holes and no standing saucer; don’t over-pot, as too much wet soil around the roots causes rot.
• Potting mix: A free-draining palm or houseplant mix with some bark or perlite for air.
• Feeding: Potted plants use up their food faster because frequent watering leaches nutrients away – feed a little more often through the growing season than plants in open ground.
• Repotting: Pot up only every couple of years when roots fill the pot; arecas prefer to be a little snug.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Summer into autumn
• Time to First Bloom: Only on mature plants after several years, and seldom when grown indoors
• Flower Appearance: Small yellow to green flowers carried along branched flower stems among the fronds
• Edibility: Not eaten — grown as a foliage plant

Detailed Blooming Overview

The areca or butterfly palm (Dypsis lutescens) is grown above all for its arching fronds, but established outdoor plants produce sprays of small flowers in the warm months. It thrives in Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical gardens or as a houseplant, in roughly zone 10 and warmer.

Flower Characteristics

• Tiny yellow to green flowers, individually inconspicuous.
• Massed along branching stems (a panicle) that emerge from among the leaf bases.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Managing the bloom: Many growers trim the flower stalks off, as they are modest and the plant is valued for foliage.
• Position: Bright, indirect light and warmth suit it best; indoor plants rarely reach flowering size.