Bold and exotic planting inspiration
If you love the look of tropical plants and want to include them in your own garden, there are plenty to choose that look the part but should be able to handle the winter chills of the UK.
The lush foliage and bold colours of tropical plants are a sight to behold in RHS Garden Wisley's Exotic Garden, pictured below – a good place to visit if you want to see them for yourself before committing to planting a border. Here are some ideas to help you get the look at home.
Leaf it out
Mix it up
Mix brightly-coloured bedding plants – things like dahlias, cannas and begonias that are planted out for the summer – with permanent plants like hardy palms and phormiums for a vivid display. This garden may be large but it’s full of ideas to take home.
Play with patterns
Use patterned leaves to bring exotic accents to the garden – there are some incredible shapes and patterns out there, from cannas like the one above that look as though they’ve been streaked with paint to variegated grasses and phormiums. Experiment and find out what works well together for you.
Plant a palm
Get vibrant
Vibrant colour is an essential part of the bold and exotic look. Leave carefully-coordinated pastel colour schemes behind and search out the brightest flowers you can find. Putting them against a backdrop of purple-leafed plants heightens the effect. Here Fuchsia ‘Professor Henkel’ gives a jolt of scarlet which looks all the brighter against its own bronzy foliage, as well as that of dahlias, cannas and Ricinus (castor oil plant).