As the temperature ramps up this week, it’s feeling tropical in the garden! Creating an exotic garden is easy with our selection of tropical plants. If your garden isn’t warm enough for these tropical varieties, why not try and create an indoor jungle paradise? These are our top choices for exotic gardens …
Stunning Colour
Commonly known as the red banana, this unusual tree adds striking effect to a summer border. Producing large, tropical leaves, these are the perfect addition to an equatorial garden space.
Hibiscus syriacus ‘Starburst Chiffon’
‘Starburst Chiffon’ is a beautiful and easy to grow variety, which is fully hardy and produces large ruffled double blooms. With masses of flowers, this plant is brilliant in the garden or patio pots.
Hibiscus syriacus ‘Oiseau Bleu’
The award-winning ‘Oiseau Blue’ (Rose of Sharon) is known for its large, trumpet-shaped vivid flowers. This impressive variety, which is a dramatic addition to a shrub border, is a full sun lover which is tolerant of drought, heat and humidity.
This sun loving tropical lily prefers full-sun and can grow up to four feet fall, making it an excellent statement. This beautiful variety has big and bold green foliage which is topped with rose coloured flowers.
Citrus Trees
Citrus ‘Kumquat’ (in-store only)
This citrus tree will thrive when given a warm and sunny position in the garden and they like free-draining soil. Kumquats produced are the smallest of the common citrus fruits, ideal for eating whole or cooking with.
Citrus ‘Calamondin’ (in-store only)
This brilliant citrus tree produces orange scented blossom that turns into small orange fruits which look similar to a small tangerine. They like a warmer temperature and will add an ornamental feel to a tropical garden.
An attractive, small citrus tree with dark green, glossy leaves. It produces fantastic limes – (the same as the ones you buy in the supermarket) – ideal for cooking or as a twist for gin & tonics or beer!
Lemon trees love a bright and sunny spot in the garden. These fruit trees produce the classic sharp tasting fruits along with fragrant white blossom. A beautiful ornamental addition to a tropical themed garden.
Plants for Shade
An elegant low-maintenance variety, producing a year round display of lime green strappy leaves. ‘Peko’ has an additional bright pink stripe, running on the underside of the leaf. Ideal for feature planting and in a sunny area.
Cordyline australis ‘Torbay Dazzler’ (AGM)
A perfect addition to an exotic garden, with attractive plumes of strappy foliage. Also known as the New Zealand Cabbage Palm, it’s ideal for sunny gardens and for low-maintenance planting schemes. ‘Torbay Dazzler’ holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Trachycarpus fortunei (AGM) / Chamaerops Excelsa
The centrepiece of an exotic garden, Trachycarpus fortunei (also known as the Chinese Windmill Palm) produces large fan shaped leaves and loves a sunny place in the garden. A hardy and tolerant palm tree with all the ingredients of a tropical garden plant.
Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’
A fantastic architectural plant, with sword-like deep red leaves. ‘Red Star’ likes well drained soil in sheltered full sun. It makes a fantastic container plant for patios or elsewhere. Mature plants produce branches of sweet-smelling white flowers in summer.
Houseplants
You can also create an indoor jungle with our outstanding selection of houseplants. These are our top four tropical choices.
Vriesea ‘Royal Mix’
The ‘flaming sword houseplant’ is a great decorative houseplant. It likes bright, indirect light, and will enjoy some sunshine but not too much. It commands little attention, needing only occasional water.
Dracena Mix ‘Dragon Tree’
An attractive, stiff-leaved plant that has sword-like leaves with red edges. They are tough and drough-tolerant, making for an excellent houseplant. It likes light but not full sun, which can burn its leaves.
Dypsis lutescens ‘Areca Palm’
The areca palm, also known as the butterfly and golden cane palm is a popular and easy to grow houseplant. Multiple cane like stems grow from the root system and produce attractive arching fronds, with quite narrow leaflets.
Calathea Mixed
The Calathea can be kept in the house, where they will provide colour. These ‘living plants’ move their foliage throughout the day and have air purifying qualities. Their distinctive striped leaf markings make it an attractive variety.
