There are approximately 10 species of Rhapis palms of which 4 are commonly cultivated in Australia. All have tall, slender stems with beautifully proportioned palmate leaves. All are clumping palms so in a garden situation will need to be given room to spread. Both R. excelsa (up to 4 m tall) and R. humilis (up to 6m tall) produce rhizomes and will spread faster than R. subtilise (3m tall) which produces basal suckers and therefore a much tighter clump.

They do prefer part shade or protection from the hottest sun of the day. If they are planted in the garden, the edge of a canopy is where Lady Palms do best. They will grow in full sun if the soil is rich with organic matter and there is plenty of water available. However, the leaves will not be as strong a green colour. Amazingly for a tropical plant, Lady Palms can also handle frosts to -5ºc. They are one tough and adaptable Lady.

If grown in a pot the size of the plant is restricted by the growing conditions. A larger pot with rich soil and plenty of water will produce a large plant. Poor soil and restricted conditions will result in stunted growth but none the less an attractive plant. In Japan, where cultivation of dwarf variegated forms has been popular for hundreds of years, some specimens are grown in a mix which is not much more than river sand in order the keep the plant small.

Propagation can be by ripe seed, which can between 2-3 months to germinate, or by rhizome offshoots (suckers) during the warmer months.

The main pests to affect Lady Palms are mealy bug and scale, especially when a plant spends most of its time indoors Mealy bug lives in the leaf sheaths making it difficult to remove manually. Occasional use of a suitable systemic pesticide may be required to maintain a healthy plant.

In the garden, poorly drained soil can lead to root rot. Build up the soil to reduce the chance of this happening if you are bedding the plant on heavy clay soils.

If the plant is to remain indoors full time, take the time to put the whole pot outside on rainy days. Doing this will saturate the soil and give the plant adequate sunlight for photosynthesis. Do not put outside on sunny days as this action will burn the leaves.

Introduce an extra Lady or two to your life and enjoy the ease with which they can be maintained.