I want to plant a patch of saw palmetto at one end of my front yard -- but that's where the septic tank is. Does anyone know whether the roots are invasive (as in, will infiltrate the drain lines and cause clogging)? I don't think so, but don't want to find out the hard way.
Need advice on saw palmetto planting
as far as the pipes and drains go, i'd say that you should be good, but as Hetty said, those things are there to stay. here, when they clear the woods for development, those are the last things to go. it isn't until they start to grade the land that they begin to get rid of them! as they age, they can become an impenatrable thicket, but if you regularly keep them thinned out and tame, then you shouldn't have a problem. the roots are very strong, as is the case with most palms, so forget about moving them in the future. just be sure that is what you want. i like the silver form myself, which has become a rather popular plant to put in larger landscapes around here. if we have scared you away from your choice, there are still some shrubby alternative palms such as the needle palm (rhapidophyllum hysterix) and dwarf palmetto (sabal minor) which are both native to your area as well.
Thank you, both, for the input. Yes, I've lived here in the South long enough to know how stubborn serenoa is -- but I'm working on becoming a member of the Dead Lawn Club and I have a HUGE amount of grass to replace. This part of the yard is under a mature Slash pine, not in any traffic pattern, and I plan to use the serenoa as background (just a few of them) for other natives and keep them trimmed. Yes, the silver form is lovely. I like your other ideas, 1cros, and will investigate them too.
glad we could help! =]