21 Flower and Plants To Make Tropical Gardens

Tropical garden design • To get a perfect tropical garden, and if budget is no problem, consult a professional designer. • Nothing says ‘tropical’ like palm trees and bamboo! • The colour, size, shape and texture of a plant’s leaves is important. • Compost and mulch is essential and replicates what occurs naturally in a rainforest. You don’t need to travel to a tropical island in Asia or the South Pacific to escape the pressures of modern life — when you have a resort-style garden, every day is like a holiday. Let yourself go troppo in the garden! In tropical and subtropical regions of Australia, there’s a growing trend for gardens that resemble the lush surrounds of five-star resorts we dream of visiting. The hard yards Dirty work Gardening in tropical and subtropical areas requires a different approach to gardening in a temperate climate. Tropical gardeners rarely have to dig down to plant, instead they layer the soil with compost, leaf mould, garden clippings and mulch. Leaf mulch layering is a process that occurs naturally in forests and gullies, where soil fertility resides in just the top few inches. In the tropics, the best time to garden is early morning, before the heat and humidity build up. Take a stroll around the garden each morning, pruning as you go, and finish at the shredder. All shredded pruning material should be composted, then returned to the garden to maintain the natural cycle. Garden care Don’t expect a tropical garden to be maintenance-free. Anyone who gardens in a warm, high-rainfall climate knows that plants explode out of the ground during wet periods. They must be pruned into submission or they’ll take over. (The upside is that many rampant growers can easily be propagated from cuttings or grown from seed.) The need for constant housekeeping means a good pair of secateurs is essential — use them to regularly tidy up any brown foliage, dead palm fronds and spent flowers. Feed your garden with a mulch of organic manure each spring and spray all the foliage with a seaweed solution once every season to keep the plants robust and strong. In tropical gardens, it’s best to keep the lawn area small — time spent mowing and weeding the lawn is wasted time! Bright-leafed bromeliads will constantly surprise you with their hardiness and vigour. They flower only once but will continue to grow, sprouting new plants, or ‘pups’, from the side. When a pup reaches about 10cm, cut it away with a sharp knife, then replant it in pine bark, not soil. Alternatively, leave the plant to clump naturally. Bromeliads don’t have to be planted in the garden, they are just as happy attached to tree trunks or in pots. Most ornamental gingers die down in winter, and you should remove all the shaggy, dying foliage. When the weather warms up, feed them with aged manure as soon as the new foliage appears. Gingers need regular watering during their growing season. Planting list In addition to the plants mentioned, the following varieties will also help you achieve a resort-style look: 1. Hawaiian hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) 2. Vireya rhododendron (Vireya cultivars) 3. Crab’s claw (Heliconia angusta cultivars) 4. Fijian fire plant (Acalypha wilkesiana) 5. Giant elephant’s ears/giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza) 6. Elephant’s ears (Alocasia amazonica) 7. Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura ‘Kerchoviana’) 8. Zebra plant (Calathea zebrina) 9. Abyssinian banana (Ensete ventricosum) 10. Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) 11. Dancing ladies (Oncidium varicosum) 12. Canna lilies (Canna ‘Tropicanna’ and Canna ‘Tricolour’) 13. New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens) 14. Sago palm (Cycas revoluta) 15. Spiral ginger (Costus barbatus) 16. Crinum lily (Crinum pedunculatum) 17. Sacred Bali bamboo (Schizostachyum brachycladum) 18. Variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet ‘Variegata’) 19. Spindle palm (Hyophorbe verschaffeltii) 20. Majestic palm (Ravenea rivularis) 21. Medinilla (Medinilla magnifica)