Tropical gardens are a true paradise for those of us who like plants. There is so much variety of shapes and colors that one does not know where to fix the gaze since everything attracts their attention.
If you dream of having a garden like this, I will recommend 15 outdoor tropical plants that will turn the room into a green space in which your illusions as a gardener will come true.
Trees and shrubs
Un tropical garden You need trees that provide shade, and shrubs that delimit the paths and / or entrances / exits. Therefore, we are going to recommend these:
brachichito (Brachychiton rupestris)
El Brachychiton rupestris It is quite reminiscent of Adansonia (baobab), but it withstands cold much better. It reaches a height of up to 20 meters, and has a bottle-shaped trunk and a rounded crown with widely divided leaves. It is evergreen, and it resists drought very well (although if it is prolonged it is normal for it to drop some leaves). It supports frosts down to -7ºC provided it is for a short time.
China Pink Hibiscus
El China pink hibiscus, whose scientific name is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, is an evergreen shrub that produces large, bell-shaped flowers of very varied colors: pink, yellow, white, bicolor ... With a height of 2 meters it is ideal to have as a hedge, since resists pruning and cold down to -2ºC if it is for a short time.
Jacaranda (jacaranda mimosifolia)
El jacaranda It is a generally deciduous tree, although it can be semi-perennial or perennial if the climate is tropical or subtropical, or if it is very sheltered, reaching a height of up to 30 meters. It develops a rounded but irregular crown, highly branched. The flowers are lilac and bloom in spring. It is sensitive to strong winds, but otherwise it supports well up to -4ºC.
Drunk stick (Chorisia speciosa o ceiba speciosa)
El drunk stick It is a deciduous tree with a very striking trunk: it is well protected by very, very thick thorns, and also when it is young it is green, so it is capable of photosynthesis. During spring it produces large flowers, up to 15cm, and pink in color. Its total height, once adult, is between 10 and 20 meters. The best thing is that it resists cold and frost down to -4ºC.
ferns
Ferns are exceptional shade plants that cannot be missing in your tropical garden. But, yes, you must choose the species that most resist the cold, such as these:
dicksonia antarctica (is now Balantium antarcticum)
The tree fern par excellence. It reaches a height of 5-6m, with fronds (leaves) of up to 1 meter. Its growth rate is medium-fast. It resists frosts down to -3ºC if it is a little sheltered.
dryopteris
The dryopteris They are very pretty trunkless ferns, with fronds that can measure up to 130cm. Like all gymnosperms, they do not flower, but that does not detract from their ornamental value. In addition, they look very good in those corners where the light barely reaches. They resist up to -4ºC.
nephrolepis high
The nephrolepis high They are a type of fern that reach a height of 50-60cm, without a trunk. It has green leaves (fronds), with a length of up to 60 centimeters, and it grows quite fast. What's more, it is able to withstand frosts down to -4ºC.
Palms
What would a tropical garden be without palm trees? For many, these types of plants are the ones that give it that exotic appearance, so without any doubt we have to put some on our land:
Jelly Palm (butia capitata)
La jelly palm tree It is a rather small plant, with a height of up to 5 meters. It has a crown of arched leaves, glaucous green in color and about 150 centimeters long. The fruits are edible, having an acid taste. Y supports up to -7ºC.
Livistona australis
La Livistona australis It is a palm tree with a single trunk that reaches 25 meters in height by about 35 centimeters in diameter. Its leaves are fan-shaped, and are green. It is a very interesting plant, since it has a medium growth rate and does not need protection against frost, since supports up to -5ºC (In some places, such as Palmpedia, they say that it can hold up to -7ºC as long as they are very specific and short-lived frosts).
Phoenix reclines
Although it looks a lot like the date bank (Phoenix dactylifera), The Phoenix reclines It has green leaves up to 4 meters long and trunks up to 30 centimeters thick by up to 15 meters high. Personally I like it more than the date palm, since it has a crown with a greater number of leaves, more compact. You do not have to worry too much about the cold, since holds up to -5ºC.
Parajubaea cocoides
La Parajubaea cocoides It is a palm tree with an appearance similar to that of the Cocos nucifera, although it does not produce the fruits of it. It grows rapidly, forming a more or less straight stipe or trunk of up to 10m, crowned by pinnate leaves that are up to 4m long. It is very resistant to cold; in fact, it resists up to -2ºC without suffering any damage, so it will surely hold up to -4ºC as a minimum.
Several
In this group we include some plants that do not quite fit in the previous categories, and that are also very interesting for a tropical garden:
Cane of the Indies (canna indica)
La Cane from the Indies, whose scientific name is canna indica, is a fast growing rhizomatous plant that reaches a height of 50-60cm. There are different varieties: some have green leaves, others with reddish stripes, some produce red flowers and others yellow. It is an ideal species to have near a pond, in direct exposure to the sun. Resists cold and frost down to -2ºC.
Cica (Cycas revoluta)
La cat It is an evergreen plant that can measure up to 6 meters, although normally it does not exceed 2m. It has a thick trunk, about 20 centimeters, and green, pinnate leaves of up to 2 meters. Once a year a new crown of leaves sprouts, in spring or more towards early summer, depending on the climate. It grows at a slow rate though holds well up to -7ºC.
White bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai)
The white Bird of Paradise plant, whose scientific name is Strelitzia nicolai, is a rhizomatous herbaceous plant widely cultivated in the warm-temperate regions of the world. It reaches a height of 10m, and produces such striking flowers that surely not even the birds will be able to resist them. Resists up to -4ºC.
muse basjoo
Musa basjoo is the edible fruit banana that best resists cold. It has a fairly rapid rate of growth, as long as it has a constant supply of water. It can reach a height of 5 meters, and resists up to -4ºC, the leaves may be affected.
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