June is the perfect time of year to plant tropical and subtropical plants in your outdoor garden to use as accent plants. I love adding a tropical feel to an ordinary garden with trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials. Tropical plants make great accent and focal plants, as well as providing splashes of color and making your landscape pop. People usually don't think about adding tropical plants to their gardens, but these plants look great in amongst temperate plants. These plants can either be used as annuals in this area or overwintered inside during the fall and winter and replanted in the spring. Whatever your preference is, is fine. In this post, I will discuss 6 of my favorite tropical plants to use in the garden.
Canna 'Tropicanna' (Photo Courtesy of: American Meadows)
Canna Lily
Canna Lilies can be grown from either rhizomes or already started plants. The foliage of these plants has a great tropical feel and come in colors of green, green with yellow variegation, or dark purple. They have clusters of brightly colored flowers at the tops of the plants from summer to fall. The flowers come in yellow, red, orange and pink or a mixture of these. My favorite cultivar is 'Cleopatra,' which has bright yellow and red flowers. Cannas can grow up to 4' tall and require full sun and are tolerant of wet feet. They can be grown in regular garden beds, or soggy soil and ponds. They require high to moderate amounts of fertilizer during the growing season and can tolerate a minimum temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The rhizomes can be overwintered inside, after all of the foliage is cut off and they have dried out a bit. The rhizomes should be stored in paper bags in spagnum moss or wood shavings in a cool, dark place that is free of frost.
Colocasia gigantea 'Thailand Giant' (Photo Courtesy of: Plant Delights Nursery)
Colocasia- Elephant Ears
Colocasia are tropical foliage plants with large heart shaped or elephant ear shaped leaves, hence this plant's common name. The leaves can get up to 48" across! The foliage comes in light or lime green, green, dark green, or dark purple. Colocasia grow to be 5-7' tall and can either be grown from bulbs or already grown plants. They can tolerate full sun, part sun, or shade, but prefer higher light levels. These plants require large amounts of water and fertilizer during the growing season and can tolerate wet feet, so they make good pond plants, too. Colocasia can tolerate short periods of dryness as long as its not severe. Tolerant of a minimum of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. These plants can make good potted plants inside your home in the fall and winter, where if they like where they are growing, will continue to grow, otherwise, they will lose their leaves and go dormant. If this happens, leave the bulb in the pot and stop watering until the spring and leave the pot indoors in a frost free area.
Cordyline terminalis (Photo Courtesy of: Plant Info)
Cordyline terminalis- Hawaiian Ti Plant
The Hawaiian Ti Plant is known for their long leaves and bright colors on the foliage rather than flowers. The foliage comes in colors of green with white, purple and pink streaks or yellow with white and brown streaks. Cordyline prefers full sun, part shade or shade and grows to 1-2' tall. Under high temperatures and light, they require moderate fertilization during the growing season. Tolerant of temperatures above 50 degrees fahrenheit. Cordyline can be allowed to die back in the fall or can be potted up as a houseplant over the fall and winter indoors.
Datura metel 'Belle Blanche' (Photo Courtesy of: White Flower Farm)
Datura metel- Horn of Plenty
Datura can be grown quite easily from seed or start and is usually used as an annual in this area. CAUTION: ALL PARTS OF THIS PLANT ARE POISONOUS! There are single flower and double flower varieties, which come in white, pastel yellow and purple. Horn of Plenty blooms from spring-fall and reaches 2-3' tall. This plant requires full sun and can tolerate a minimum temperature of 55 degrees fahrenheit.
Mandevilla (Photo Courtesy of: Garden Know How)
Mandevilla
Mandevilla is a vining plant that can reach 3' long. It looks great, either in a pot or in the ground growing on a trellis. The foliage is dark green and shiny. The flowers come in white, dark and light pink and this plant prefers full sun and a Southern exposure. The blooming season for this plant is summer and it can tolerate temperatures above 60 degrees fahrenheit.
Musa acuminata (Photo Courtesy of: Useful Tropical Plants)
Musa acuminata- Banana
Banana plants just scream tropical with their large green leaves and thick herbaceous stalks. Musa prefers full sun, but can tolerate part sun, too. These plants love sunny, hot and humid weather, which makes them great for Philadelphia summers. They require high amounts of water and fertilizer during the growing season and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. Musa can tolerate a minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The leaves get really large and the plants can get up to 5' tall or taller, depending on the species and cultivar. Sometimes these plants even fruit! Musa can be allowed to die back in the fall or grown as an indoor houseplant if you have the space.
Bibliography: Logee's Plants for Home and Gardens: "From the Grower: Care" https://www.logees.com/