Hi everybody - I have a small garden plot in front of our house in which I've struggled to keep small plants alive. Now that everything is pretty much dead due to my incompetence, I'd like to switch things up a bit and plant a palm tree here with some small perennials around the periphery. The plot is 8' in width and 10' in length, so 80 square feet. The soil is sandy loam. Centipede grass grows well in it. We're in coastal Charleston, SC in USDA Zone 9A. The plot gets full sunlight all day, no shade at all. The plot has drip irrigation which we added when we plumbed our yard for a sprinkler system.

Some questions:

1) What species of palm tree would be best for this location? I'm attracted to low-growing species that are a little bit shorter than the "classic" tall palm that you see along the roads.

2) What type of prep work should I do to ensure the palm is healthy? E.g., soil amendments

3) Where should I go to obtain a palm tree that is already fairly mature? Should I watch out for anything with respect to the health of the tree?

4) Given the information above, what sorts of small perennials would work along the border of the plot?

Thank you so much for your advice! I'll post a picture of the finished product!