Having lived in Florida all my life, I appreciate our year-round outdoor weather and the fact that we can garden and grow things at least 10 months of the year. I have to admit, though, sometimes I envy the way my Northern friends get to experience changing seasons – especially the dramatic colors of fall. And as a garden center owner on Florida’s central east coast, I have many customer “transplants” from the North who long for the beauty of autumn color as summer turns to fall.
Bromeliads, crotons and fountain grass create a colorful fall display.
Photo Credit: Theresa Riley
While gold-blooming Heliconia is very tropical-looking, its colors make wonderful accents in autumn gardens.
Photo Credit: Theresa Riley
Use coleus, sweet potato vine, firespike and ‘Profusion Orange’ zinnia to create a tropical fall container.
Photo Credit: Theresa Riley
While we can’t control the weather to hurry the arrival of pleasant, cooler temperatures, we can satisfy our longing for stunning “fall color” in the landscape through the use of tropical foliage plants.
If you’re looking to capture all the reds, oranges, yellows and browns of autumn at once but you don’t know what to plant, try the always popular crotons or coleus. Crotons typically grow from 4-6 feet and provide a permanent burst of color to your landscape. Coleus also adds a kaleidoscope of fall hues, and they can vary in height from 12-36 inches.
Cordylines are herbaceous perennials that come in a beautiful array of reds and greens reminiscent of northern climates. And while tropical Heliconia may evoke images of the Caribbean rather than of Vermont forests, they’re great for bringing in oranges and yellows.
With their colorful, long leaves, Dracaena marginata ‘Bicolor’ or ‘Colorama’ make a beautiful backdrop for a fall display. At full maturity, these specimens can reach 10-12 feet tall, but they’re easily maintained at 6-8 feet with proper pruning. Dracaena prefers well-drained soils and adapts to light conditions ranging from shade to full sun.
Bromeliads bring in a nice midlevel of color, too, with their spiky foliage ranging from orange to red to brown. With a maximum height of 2-3 feet, these plants really thrive in our climate. Most varieties grow beautifully in the landscape in a nice shady spot. One type of bromeliad, Guzmania, gives brilliant splashes of reds, oranges and yellows. Another, Neoregelia, has touches of green and red that can take us from fall right into the holiday season with months of striking color and easy care, either indoors or out.
The great thing about any of these tropicals is that you can either add them straight into your garden or stick them in containers to decorate patios, porches and entranceways. (I like to use earthy terra-cotta-colored pots.) If your main focus for fall “pop!” is through container gardening, try coleus, sweet potato vine and dwarf Heliconia in those areas of shade or partial sun. If your pots are in full sun, consider crotons, red fountain grass, gold lantana and Rudbeckia. In addition to color, these selections add texture and some height.
With proper planning, your colorful, tropical “fall” garden can then easily be transformed into seasonal displays for Christmas all the way through Valentine's Day. All you need to do is swap out your orange and yellow selections with plants bursting with hues of reds and whites.
So whether you put your plants in the ground or pot ’em up into gorgeous bursts of fall color, now’s the time to do it! Discover the beauty of autumn with the colors of tropical foliage and flowers. Add a decorative scarecrow, a few pumpkins and voilà – instant autumn, even in Florida!
