Maypan Coconut Palms Serve All Your Tropical Tastes

Maypan coconut palms satisfy almost any tropical taste because they do two things really well. They please the eye and the palette in the most quintessential Florida way.

Maypan coconut palms grace a Siesta Key home in Sarasota, Florida.

First, consider their good looks. These single-trunk palms can grow up to 50 feet tall and are one of the most universally recognized palms thanks to their supporting roles on TV and in Hollywood movies. Rich green fronds arch up and out, with coconut clusters bubbling out underneath.  Initially imported from Jamaica, Maypan coconut palms are a cross between a Malayan Dwarf and the Panama Tall, hence the name.

Get cracking on coconut recipes.

Coconut shrimp with chili sauce
Coconut Shrimp served with a sweet chili sauce.

Maypans won’t start producing nuts until they’re six-to-eight years old, and then it takes a year for them to ripen. But when they do, be ready. Harvest time is pure heaven. What would you like? A cold piña colada spiked with an umbrella?  Some freshly baked coconut macaroons? Or how about a platter of sweet coconut shrimp? The choices are endless. A word to the wise: Maypans fruit at random times of the year, so have your taste buds ready at all times. And know how to crack open a coconut!

No coconut coddling required.

So surely a palm that provides such savory libations and menu choices has to be coddled a little, right? Not so. Low-maintenance Maypans are extremely salt-tolerant and can take the sun at full tilt. They love sandy soil and at maturity will drop their own brown fronds. (When they’re young, though, trim fronds while they’re still within reach.) They don’t like to be overly wet, so regular watering is just fine. Fertilize spring, summer and fall to promote their moderate growth habit.

Drape your landscape in coconut couture.

Maypan palms in Florida

Where might you place your Maypan? Well, as much as you may want to plant it outside your kitchen window to pluck coconuts for cocktail hour, you’ll need to give it space. Install it at least 10 feet from your house, and if you’re installing two or more, space 10-12 feet apart. Maypan coconut palms make a splendid single specimen palm, especially in the center of a wide circular drive or near an outdoor spa. You can plant several to line the edge of your property or group in pairs to soften your landscape’s corner perimeters.

Contact ArtisTree Landscape.

Maypan coconut palms installed by ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design.

Need assistance with creating a look you’ll love? ArtisTree has been bringing Florida landscapes to life in Sarasota, Manatee or Charlotte counties since 1990. Choose the landscaper that luxury builders use by calling Jenni Lassen at 941.488.8897. Or visit artistree.com. For community-wide HOA landscape maintenance services, contact Michael Casper and we’ll get your proposal started.

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