Looking for a bit of drama in your garden? You really can’t go wrong by adding tropical plants! Their jumbo leaves, high voltage color, and amazing textures add height and interest while grounding and providing “heft” to garden spaces.
Tropical gardens are becoming increasingly popular in Britain. I think it’s down to their exotic, relaxing mood. It’s like being on holiday, without leaving home.
What sets tropical gardens apart is their distinctive mood: lush and soothing. The plants are impactful and contemporary, but the overall feel is timeless. Plus, they are really low-maintenance.
Tropical plants are hardier than you might think and will survive cold temperatures well. What they can’t bear is drought, so keep them well-watered, especially in the first year.
The trick to getting tropical plants to work in your garden is to mix them with British plants. Create a framework of exotic varieties and fill in with garden stalwarts like carex, sedge, hosta, astrantia, miscanthus and Japanese anemone.
Anthurium
This sophisticated, stylish tropical plant is a popular option for inside the home.
Despite being a little on the challenging side to grow indoors, they’re extremely rewarding when in fruition.
Celebrated for their bright, stately flowers, they add an instant injection of colour to any room in the household. They’re easily available as there are lots of anthurium cultivars in existence, however, it’s important to know how to care for them if you want them to last.
Cordyline
Native to Hawaii, Cordyline are everything you would ever associate with the tropics thanks to their palm-like appearance.
They’re bold, beautiful and bright and can be found in an array of leafy colours. If you care from them in the correct manner, they will create a bold statement in the home.
Ficus
Although a little on the fussy side to grow, once in full bloom, they’re well worth the effort.
When in fruition, they boast oversized, lush, green leaves with high gloss faces, which add an instant splash of colour to the household.
Cold drafts can harm growth while the plant also needs regular misting to maintain humidity – provided this is done, you can enjoy all the delights that the plant has to offer.
Dumb Cane
Also named dieffenbachia, these common houseplants are so popular that some forget they’re a tropical plant specie.
One thing to be wary of is the sap on these plants – it can irritate the skin!
Hosta
A very flexible plant that is ideal for partial or full shade. It gives great ground cover and comes in a huge range of leaf variations. Must be kept well-watered.
Jasmine
Jasmine is the stuff of legends in literature, but we think it flies seriously under the radar as a garden plant. Small, waxy white flowers bloom from spring into summer, some even into the fall, on vines that grow up to 30’ long.
In warmer climates, jasmine will be an evergreen delight, in cooler areas, consider it a fragrant houseplant during the winter. Jasmine grows best in full sun to partial shade and likes consistently moist soils. Make a statement by planting jasmine in high traffic areas so you can enjoy the scent while flowers are in bloom.
Calla Lily
Calla lilies feature those wide leaves like most tropicals, but also boast their trademark spiral bloom form beloved in cut flower arrangements.
Both elegant and dramatic, callas come in hues ranging from reds, yellows, and oranges, to classic white, purple, and pink.
Some have speckled leaves that are great additions to the garden even when plants are not in bloom. Plants are cold hardy in zones 8-10 and make great container annuals everywhere else.
Bird of Paradise
Bird of paradise is one of the most tropical flowers in the world, with large, distinctive, almost gaudy flowers. Fortunately, they are also surprisingly easy to grow indoors. While it is a vigorous, rapidly growing indoor plant, it should be fertilized weekly and kept pot-bound. Birds of paradise can grow up to 6 feet tall and need 3 to 5 years of growth before they flower.
