Tropical Garden Plant Ideas

June 7, 2008

Gardening
If you’ve never planted a tropical garden before, you may not be too sure about what types of plants to put into your garden. If there are plants you’ve seen on TV or while on vacation of course, those may come to mind, but other than that you may be at something of a loss. And that’s where this article comes in. There are literally hundreds of different types of plants you can put into a tropical garden, so here we’ll suggest several for you to try your hand at growing.

Keep in mind though, if you don’t live in a tropical area you may have to order these plants online, or ask at your local nursery to see if they can find a source for you to buy them from.

Vinca - These are not technically considered tropical plants, but they’re a wonderful annual flower to use in a tropical garden because they give you instant color from the moment you plant them. They can often be bought as small starter plants, and they grow about ten to twelve inches high. They bloom profusely for months on end, and they tolerate even the worst heat, drought conditions, and poor soil too. They have very smooth glossy green leaves too, and the flower buds form small rosettes as they’re opening.

Purple Sand Verbena - These are also excellent plants for using in very hot, dry areas of your yard and garden. These flowers grow naturally as wildflowers in various parts of the Southwestern United States, but they’ll also grow in sandy soil areas such as Florida. These come in a variety of colors too, and though they are considered to be annuals or short lived perennials, they drop seeds well so they’ll sprout up again each year. Purple sand verbena also have light green, hairy leaves and stems which add interesting texture to a tropical garden.

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Garden Tip...

The spring is preferable to the fall for setting out trees and shrubs of all kinds. In the Northern States they should be set out about the first of April, to give the roots time enough to become established before warm weather starts the leaves.
~ James Sheehan
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Sun Coleus - This is a wonderful plant for adding unusual color and texture to your garden. It tolerates heat and sun, but it can grow in partial sun too. This plant is grown more for it’s unusual color and texture than it’s flowers, and it makes a stunning perennial display in almost any type of garden you put it in.

Moses-in-the-cradle - This plant is known by a few different names, but Moses-in-the-cradle seems to be the most common. This is another tropical plant which loves heat and sun, but will also grow in partial sun too. This plant does wonderfully in sandy soil, particularly when it’s in a humid area. The plant has tiny little flowers which aren’t overly noticible, so it tends to be grown for the striking color of it’s foilage instead. This plant is invasive in certain areas of the country though: Florida is one of those places. It spreads out quickly and agressively as a ground cover, and can become probelmatic when not kept contained.

Kalanchoe - This is a succulent plant which tolerates heat and sun very nicely. What’s unusual about this is the glossy deep green leaves the plant has, and the vibrant flower colors it produces too. This plant will do well in partially sunny areas too, and the variety which has fuzzy leaves instead of smooth ones can tolerate even more hot and arid areas such as those found in Phoenix Arizona.

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Garden Tip...

The spring is the time of the year in which to do the pruning of all kinds of plants, vines, and shrubs, that are out of doors, as they are then dormant. Some prefer to prune grape vines in the fall, just after they have ripened and shed their leaves. We think it unsafe to prune anything too severely in the fall, especially the grape vine. Much experience has taught us to select the month of March as the time of the year most suitable for performing the operation.
~ James Sheehan
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