Plants for a touch of tropical foliage
By selecting plants with a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and textures, it is possible to create a full and attractive border with a leafy jungle feel and year-round interest
Quick facts
- Choose hardy tropical-look plants that can withstand outdoor temperatures
- Foliage can provide colour interest, as well as flowers
- Look for microclimates within your garden that may suit tropical plants particularly well
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The planting plan
This planting plan of evergreens provides a range of flowering and foliage plants that once established, will thrive and bring an exotic feel to your garden.
Plants to give a tropical feel
Choosing plants for a tropical look
The main function here is to provide an exotic look to the scheme. The Azara and Albizia prefer warmer sheltered areas and may not perform well in locations that suffer from prolonged hard frosts or wind. The Heuchera and Podophyllum provide useful groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil, as well as reducing moisture evaporation from the soil surface and helping to suppress weed growth.
Additional organic mulching, preferably with homemade compost, can further help with soil moisture retention and weed suppression.
1 - Albizia julibrissin
2 - Blechnum chilense
3 - Azara serrata
4 - Phormium ‘Maori Maiden’
5 - Podophyllum ‘Kaleidoscope’
6 - Crocosmia ‘Hellfire’
7 - Heuchera ‘Orangeberry’
2 - Blechnum chilense is an evergreen fern with dark green, lance-shaped, fronds. The fertile fronds are more erect, with narrow wavy leaflets.
3 - Azara serrata is an evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves with serrated edges. Dense clusters of fragrant deep yellow flowers appear in summer, occasionally followed by white berries.
4 - Phormium ‘Maori Maiden’ is an evergreen perennial with arching, slender sword-shaped leaves. The leaves have closely packed, mid-pink, light pink and bronze stripes.
5 - Podophyllum ‘Kaleidoscope’ is an herbaceous perennial with hexagonal or star-shaped leaves, symmetrically spotted in a mix of dark, mid- and pale, silvery green. Hanging, dark red flowers appear in clusters under the leaves in early summer, followed by yellow fruit.
6 - Crocosmia ‘Hellfire’ is an herbaceous perennial, with mid-green, blade-like leaves and arching flower stems that bear glowing vermillion-red tubular flowers that have a darker red throat, from mid to late summer.
7 - Heuchera ‘Orangeberry’ is a semi-evergreen perennial with burnt-orange ruffled foliage and delicate, creamy-pink flowers appearing on thin stems above the foliage in the summer.
About growing tropical-look plants
AGM plants tend to be more naturally resistant to pests and disease and, once established, will reduce the need for extra inputs that weaker-growing plants would need, such as excessive water and fertiliser.
A simple planting plan helps create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.
The challenge of growing tropical-look plants
Why choose a sustainable planting combination?
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