TROPICAL FUSION

A FUSS-FREE APPROACH TO USING BOLD TROPICAL PLANTS IN ANY TEMPERATE GARDEN

- MARIANNE WILLBURN

Colocasia esculenta 'Morning Dew', an elephant ear liberally splashed with golden green markings, does the tropical-temperate tango with falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera), a lacy-leaved and hardy conifer.

The trending excitement over the bold foliage and summer star power of tropical and subtropical plants is nothing new. In years-long crazes over the course of nearly two centuries, adventurous gardeners in temperate, cold-winter climates have used these plants to create indoor and outdoor jungles, shock the neighbors with wild color combinations, and completely exhaust themselves by the end of the season.

Thus, the tropical genre remains niche in the minds of many gardeners. It can feel incongruous, expensive and labor intensive, if not downright mysterious. Valid concerns may not even begin with the "How?" and "Where?" of it all, but with "Why do it in the first place?"

Curcuma alismatifolia, also known as summer tulip, is a tropical ginger relative; growing from a rhizome, it can be easily lifted and stored dormant over the winter, similar to dahlias.
A banana provides a bold backdrop to the autumn leaves of dwarf Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Little Henry').
Purple-leaved cannas look right at home tucked amid more expected foundation plants, including a red-flowered hydrangea that complements its coloring.
In this Michigan garden, cannas, a black-leaved banana and red-and-gold coleus mingle with hardy staples like lamb's ears and cranesbill.

Thankfully, immersive tropical experiences and extravagant bedding schemes are not the only ways to dabble in the incredibly rich palette of tropical texture, color and form. You needn't have a greenhouse or be willing to share floor space with a massive bird of paradise (Strelitzia) in February.