Be sure to check out our archive of Garden Journal articles!
Hot Tropical Plants To Jazz Up Your Summer
Gardeners everywhere are recreating the lush tropical surroundings of their favorite exotic vacation locales. It is possible to turn any traditional garden into a tropical paradise filled with hypnotically sweet blossoms, lush foliage, and vibrant colors that will take you back to that tropical rainforest, desert oasis or Caribbean retreat.
Heating up your garden can be as simple as adding a few well placed containers filled with Elephant’s Ear (C. Esculenta) Blue Plumbago (P. auriculata) or showy hibiscus (H. Rosa-sinensis). Tropical gardening is becoming increasingly popular and as a result we are featuring a new section of exotic "warm blooded" plants in our garden centers. Below is a listing of a few of our favorite tropical and subtropical plants that thrive in our hot humid summers.
Allamanda Bush
Allamanda cathartica, also known as Golden Trumpet, is a bushy open shrub that bears large, sunny yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers all summer. The flowers are slightly fragrant in the evening making this a wonderful plant for container plantings around a pool or patio. This South American native produces long arching branches adorned with glossy green leaves. Plant in full sun and fertilize regularly.
Blue Plumbago
Unlike the perennial groundcover often called "plumbago" (Ceratostigma
plumbaginodes) this shrubby tropical is filled with abundant powdery-blue
phlox-like flowers all summer. Plumbago looks great in a container or planted in
the ground along with agapanthus. Plant in full sun or light shade and fertilize
regularly.
Euryops
The moment you see this "California Bush Daisy" you’ll fall for it!
This wonderful tropical shrub had green, fuzzy, fernlike foliage overflowing
with cheerful daisy-like blossoms. It is available in a tree-form standard which
looks terrific in a container with purple or pink trailing annuals planted
beneath it. Plant 6" container shrubs in pots along with other annuals or
directly into the ground for a summer of fantastic color. Plant in full sun and
fertilize regularly.
Confederate Jasmine
Jasmine’s fragrant pure white flowers look just like little white stars against a backdrop of deep green leaves. Jasmine can grow on a trellis and will quickly cover an arbor, fence or lamppost. It can also be grown on the trellis as a vertical accent in a container along with other annuals. Plant in full sun or light shade and fertilize regularly. The heavy sweet fragrance of Confederate Jasmine is out of this world!
Tibouchina
This rather tall beautiful Brazilian native will grow at least 3 feet in one
summer making it a great specimen for the back of the border. Princess Flower,
as it is often called, also looks wonderful all by itself in a large container.
Throughout the summer you’ll enjoy the velvety foliage and large clusters of
dark purple-blue flowers. Plant in full sun or light shade and fertilize
regularly. You can try growing tibouchina indoors in a very sunny spot after the
summer season.
Kimberly and Macho Ferns
These two new ferns look fabulous planted in elegant containers and set on a shady porch or patio. The lush dark green foliage is beautiful. The Kimberly fern is more upright and dainty. The macho fern has large drooping fronds. Both varieties can be brought indoors in the fall and kept as a houseplant.
Pennisetum setaceum "Rubrum"
This red fountain grass is fast becoming one of our favorite annuals. It
grows quickly and offers a dramatic, bold accent to containers, borders and
annual plantings. The blades of the red-maroon grass are accented by arching
plumes. Plant in full sun. Incredibly easy to grow.
Cannas
While cannas are not a "new" plant, they are being used in new ways.
Cannas make a wonderful tall, vertical accent in borders and annual plantings.
There are new varieties with bold variegation to the leaves. Try dwarf varieties
in container gardens. Canna bulbs can be dug up in the fall, saved and replanted
the following spring. See our Garden Journal article on Storing
Summer Bulbs.
Exotic Hibiscus
This new series of hibiscus boast huge flowers (almost double the size of regular hibiscus!) in exciting, unique colors. Tropical hibiscus bloom profusely all summer if grown in full sun and given regular feedings.
Be sure to check out our archive of Garden Journal articles!
