Estate Landscaping in Palm Beach

On the ground

What landscapes in Palm Beach contend with

• Hedges under ficus whitefly pressure

  Palm Beach privacy depends on hedges, and ficus hedges remain on many older properties. The ficus whitefly feeds on leaf undersides, causing yellowing, leaf drop and dieback in heavy infestations. Crews check by disturbing the foliage for clouds of small white adults and act early, since populations build over several generations. When a hedge is lost, replacement material and layout may need Town review depending on where the hedge sits.

• Salt and wind on a narrow island

  With the island only a few hundred feet wide in places, salt spray reaches well beyond the dune line. UF/IFAS recommends salt-tolerant plants within about an eighth of a mile of salt water, which describes much of the town. Programs put tolerant natives such as seagrape and silver buttonwood on the windward face and keep sensitive ornamentals sheltered behind walls and structures.

• Lethal bronzing in palms

  Lethal bronzing is a phytoplasma disease of palms spread by insects, not by pruning tools. Early signs include premature fruit drop and browning of the oldest leaves, followed by collapse of the spear leaf. UF/IFAS advises removing a palm promptly once it shows symptoms and tests positive. Crews on palm-heavy estates watch for those signs and arrange testing before recommending removal.

• Royal palm nutrition

  Royal palms frame many Palm Beach drives, and potassium deficiency is the leading cause of their death in southern Florida landscapes. Older fronds show tip and marginal necrosis first. Removing those fronds speeds decline, so crews leave them and feed on a regular schedule. Because the Town bans nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer from June through September, the feeding calendar is built around that window.