Tropical Plants for Containers

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Christine Lance

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Photo Credit: James Burghardt

Let the sweet-smelling blooms of ginger take you away to a tropical paradise in your own back yard.

Have you dreamed of a tropical destination but haven’t had the time or money to get there? No matter where you live you can experience the beauty of the tropics in your own back yard with container tropicals. These beautiful, lush, colorful plants can really liven up any garden or home and make it feel like an amazing oasis.

For an immediate showy effect, start creating your tropical look with these foliage showstoppers: bananas, elephant ears and Hawaiian Ti plants. Bananas are well-known in the tropics and are used for their beauty and delicious fruit. Some varieties are strictly ornamental and are used for their unique foliage, such as dark red striping. The fruit-producing varieties only have green leaves, but their great quantities of sweet fruit more than make up for it. You might consider using each type in your garden.

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Photo Credit: AgriStarts 4

Welcome to the tropics – here is your host, the Hawaiian Ti plant.

Elephant ears, also known as alocasias, provide large, ruffled foliage that really gives a lush jungle feel when added to a back yard or patio. Similar to the bananas, elephant ears are fast-growing plants and fill out large pots nicely.

Hawaiian Ti plants, also known as cordylines, come with bright red, orange or chocolate hues in their leaves. They’re beautiful and add a dazzling effect – almost like a sunset in your garden (without the sun).

Warnings

Elephant ears are considered poisonous. They contain an irritant, calcium oxalata, which is released if an adult, child or pet chews or ingests the plant’s leaf, stem or root. This can cause mouth and throat irritation with swelling and an itching or burning sensation. Typically animals and humans are not terribly affected since a few small bites are often a deterrent. Even so, it’s best not to munch on the plant at all! (Elephant ears are actually used as a food source in other countries and are safe to eat after they’ve been cooked.)

Facts

Musa basjoo is an ornamental cold-hardy banana that, if mulched properly, can usually survive winter in the landscape up to USDA hardiness Zone 4.

Tips

Form, texture and color are three guiding principles when creating an inviting outdoor landscape. Try to vary the types of tropicals you use accordingly so that you have a mixture of many different types.

Tools

Since tropical plants need high humidity levels to thrive, try using a watering wand to mist your plants daily.

Come to The Garden Party and share your tropical paradise with the rest of our Learn2Grow community! Post some pictures of your tropical containers, create a blog, or ask our experts and other home gardeners for more advice or tips on how to create a thriving garden oasis.

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