Trying Your Hand at Tropical Garden Design

 

If you live in an area with a hot climate, such as southern California, and you feel that having a nice garden in your yard is impossible take a look at tropical garden design as a possible solution. While the choice of plants which will grow in your area may be limited, with a little thought and a great deal of planning, you should be able to create a design which has year round interest.

If you live in a slightly cooler climate but like the idea of having something a little more exotic in your yard there are a number of things you can do. The most obvious solution is to have a large greenhouse or hothouse but you can also find a number of hardy plants. If a large greenhouse is not an option by adding a smaller one you may be able to grow some tropical plants in containers which you simply move into the greenhouse over winter.

Bamboo is a great plant to use in a tropical garden design. It can grow in cool climates and is available in a range of colors besides the basic green stemmed variety. Those types of bamboo which have black or yellow stems can look amazing if you have clumps of each variety in different locations in your yard.

Palms are another plant which is considered tropical but is capable of withstanding even the harshest winds, I've seen them growing well in such places as the Outer Hebrides in the north west of Scotland in the United Kingdom.

Ferns are another great plant to incorporate into tropical garden design. All ferns have an exotic look to them and some of the more unusual varieties enhance this effect greatly. Mixing in such plants as banana trees can create something of a prehistoric tropical jungle look which is exiting for kids but creates a wonderful atmosphere for early evenings if you strategically place some colorful outdoor lighting to enhance the architectural aspects of these fascinating plants.

One thing that may come as a surprise is that you do not need as many flowers in a tropical garden. By using the various shades of green and the bold architectural shapes of some of the plants mentioned it is only really necessary to include a few specimen flowers here and there. The other advantage of only using a handful of flowering plants is that your attention is drawn towards them. Of course this then means that you really need to grow a flower that has great interest which often means a little more expense but it really is worth it.

If specimen plants are beyond your budget consider using rhododendrons in your tropical garden design. These plants are initially expensive (as you want to buy a medium to large plant of high quality) but they are easily propagated (by layering etc,) so the initial cost is soon spread.

 

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