In the Palm of your Hand

The palm tree is one of the most beautiful sights in the Algarve. Some are tall and elegant with smooth trunks and symmetrical fronds, while others are short and stout with raggedy spikes, but they are all equally lovely to me. They get a real battering all year round with daily lashings from the Algarve wind, but they remain totally unbothered, standing as proud and majestic as ever.

Palm trees aren’t just a pretty face. They’ve been providing food and shelter since ancient times. The date palm is a symbol of prosperity and fertility across the Arab world, and palm trees appear in the scriptures of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Grown 5,000 years ago, for their shade, high-energy fruit and construction materials, they continue to be useful to this day. Their fruit, leaves and fibres make everything from medicines to brushes and baskets. 

Today we associate palm trees with holiday destinations and relaxation, beachside resorts and luxuriant living. Perhaps that’s why, when it comes to interiors, palm trees and palm prints are so welcoming. They say, ‘Oh hello there, do come inside and have a cocktail.’ 

If you want to bring the beauty of the outside inside, you can’t go wrong with inviting some palms into your home. Aaah, go on, put on that tropical print dressing gown you haven’t yet dared to wear, ask Alexa for a bit of Wham! Or make yourself a Pina Colada and let the swaying palms soothe you!

If your living space is looking a bit dry and boring, palms can help you create a verdant oasis. Palm motifs work in so many different types of homes; they can be uplifting and fun, or elegant and glamorous … it all depends on how you style them. If you want to create breezy beach house vibes, pair bright green palms and pops of colour with lots of white and light wood. If you prefer a sophisticated boudoir, go for palms in more neutral tones with dark woods, deep greens and gold accents. You don’t have to go full-on jungle, you could update a plain sofa or bed with a scattering of palm print cushions. Even the smallest sprinkling of palm leaves will add depth and interest to a room.

If the other members of your household are not ready for a palm print feature wall, you could introduce the real thing with a beautiful house plant. Palms are fantastic air cleaners, with the areca, dwarf date and bamboo palm making NASA’s list of best toxin removers. 

If you don’t have green fingers and plants die in your home before they have a chance to clean the air, then an artificial palm is a good option. The one pictured below is from Casa in Portimão, you will not find a more real-looking fake in the whole Algarve. 

I was surprised to learn recently that palm trees are not natives of Portugal. I had assumed they were born here like the olive, carob, cork-oak, lemon, orange, almond and fig trees, but, no, they were brought in from North Africa by the Moors. Portugal’s only indigenous palm is the Chamaerops Humilis, commonly and rather insultingly known as the Mediterranean dwarf palm.

Its range extended from the Algarve through the Alentejo to the Serra da Arrábida near Lisbon. Today, you only really see them in the Algarve, clinging onto the cliffs for dear life. It’s a trooper – it grows on poor and rocky soils, survives fires by resprouting from underground rhizomes, prevents erosion and provides a habitat for many species of small animals. Oh, and its fruits are used in medicine as an astringent and its leaves are made into mats, ropes and baskets. Those fantastic beach bags with the tanned leather straps you see all over the Algarve are made from the humble Mediterranean dwarf palm. So, give her a respectful nod the next time you see one getting weather-beaten.

Is the framed photo print in the room at the top a cactus, a palm, a succulent or a cycad? (The gardeners reading this are rolling their eyes at my stupidity.) I took about 50 photos of this pretty plant before I got one good enough to print and put on the wall and I didn’t even know what it was. I had to look it up. A search on Google told me it was a blue agave, the plant from which you make tequila. I heard myself let out an ‘oooh!’ just thinking about how many free margaritas I could get from my garden. But when I showed the picture to a friendly botanist in a bus queue, he immediately said, ‘Ah no, it’s a Foxtail, silly!’

It’s amazing what you can learn from sitting beside a botanist on a very long bus journey to Faro airport!