John N gives good advice. Some palms are just too big for a patio villa.

I think a European Fan Palm would be the perfect size & like JohnN said, it's bushy.

Word of Caution: Don't plant them closer than 8 to 10 feet or eventually the roots will buckle your driveway/walkways. Happened to a neighbor who tripped over the raised concrete, broke a hip and spent 5 months recovering. The offending palm was removed....

Pindo palm
 

In 2002 we bought a used villa with a Pindo palm. We like it. It grows very slowly, is easy to maintain, and is not at all bothered by frosts or freezes. The long arching fronds are graceful but picky so wear gloves when you (infrequently) need to trim off one.

Wow, I would sure like to know what kind of palm that was, as I have NEVER heard of that happening before. Palm tree roots DO NOT thicken with age, since they continually die back & new roots are generated. I'm thinking they must have planted a very small palm within a foot or two of the concrete & the outward growth of the trunk as the pam matured made the concrete buckle. Or perhaps the palm was there first & someone installed the sidewalk or driveway too close.

May have been roots from another tree in the area. In Hawaii, we plant palms in the center of concrete with just a hole a little larger than the trunk diameter. Palm roots are small and soft. I have all types of palms next to walls, sidewalks and my home and never have had any problems.

We used Mansfield and are satisfied.

Ralph, my neighbor, was cutting it down for the lady who got hurt and told me the story. Confirmed by my yard guy as I am going to have one removed as it is doing EXACTLY the same thing on my golfcart garage driveway. Don't know nuthin' bout roots but these folks seem to know what they are talking about....it was a big tree.....11 year old house

Hedoman, do you know what kind of palm yours is? How close is it to your golf cart driveway? Any way you can post a picture? Unless you really want the palm gone regardless, I would consult a few others as to what may be causing the problem with your driveway. I've just never heard of palm roots causing this type of problem, unless it's really the trunk itself pushing against your driveway. Palm roots just don't typically grow & behave the same way oak tree roots do.

We have a couple of windmill palms and I'm not a big fan. When they first come from the nursery, they look fantastic, but then, after a few seasons they start to look a bit ragged - at least ours has. This must be somewhat common since I purchased a landscape design software program which allows you to create 3D designs by placing different plants from their library. When I retrieved the windmill palm from the library, it looked exactly like ours - brown-tipped fronds and all.

I think the Europen Fan Palm is an excellent palm for a low-growing palm. They are very cold hardy and not tempermental at all. For a slightly larger space, Pindo is a good choice - they seem indestructible. Another one that has done well for us is the Lady Palm. It requires some shade, but it has a neat, refined look to it and it is reasonably small. We have two and they both have survived the cold winters quite well. Our Queen Palms have survived the cold winters of several years ago quite well, but I am getting tired of pruning out the dead fronds and seed pods as they grow.

Does anyone do their own landscaping rather than have the nurseries or landscapers put things in? I did a bit of my own up north and, although I know absolutely nothing about Florida landscaping, might try my hand at doing the design and planting. Is there anything I need to know that might sway me to let someone else do it?

Palms
 

A dead palm !!

With the exception of a couple of large palms, we’ve done (and are still in the process of doing) our own landscaping/planting. The main thing is to do research on the appropriate plants for this soil/climate and to remember that water restrictions should dictate the types of plants you choose. Also...keep in mind the in-ground irrigation system, the type of sprinker heads you have or might need to swap out...and dig carefully.