Ah, tropical plants! Even if you don’t live in the tropics or in very warm subtropical regions (e.g., South Florida), you can still enjoy a taste of exotic blossoms and lush vegetation in the landscape during the summer, treating your specimens as annuals. Alternatively, bring them indoors for the winter for storage or to serve as houseplants.
Before looking at some of the types of tropical flowers available, let’s discuss the following design considerations, paying particular attention to staying within budget:
- Achieving optimal color
- Adding a water feature
- Providing seating where you can enjoy your plants
- Installing outdoor lighting that evokes the tropics
Tropical or exotic plants are normally a little more pricey than native, local plant varieties; yet you don’t want to scrimp, when it comes to color. Solution to the problem: supplement the color offered by your exotic blossoms with the additional color that can be provided by use of more common annuals.
Below are examples of just a few of the more common types of exotic blossoms:
- Bird of Paradise
- Gerbera Daisy
- Lantana
- Canna bulbs
- Hibiscus
- Palm trees
- Bamboo plants
- Cordyline
- Bromeliads
- Ferns
- Draecana varieties
- Plumeria
- Elephant Ear