Tropical Plants for Indoors and Outdoors

Ten Tropical Plants to Try in Your Yard for Summer

Exotic accents for borders or containers

On a recent trip to Savannah, the Gulf Coast and Florida Keys, I was struck by the appearance of many plants seen in nurseries and gardens in the Northeast.  The only difference was in size.  The plants we grow in eight, 10 and 12 inch containers here are enormous giants-growing in outdoor gardens as large as ten feet tall.  The plants we see in our neck of the woods are much smaller versions of their tropical cousins yet every bit as colorful.

While it is not always easy to grow tropical plants, it is not impossible and the average gardener is certainly capable of not only growing these exotics outdoors in the summer-time, but with a little extra care, keeping them healthy and happy for many years to come.   

All plants need the sun for photosynthesis, the bigger the leaves the more light they absorb, the more gases are exchanged.  Sub-tropical and tropical plants are used to not only more hours of intense light but heat and moisture as well.  Many adapt to our growing conditions as indoor plants that can be bought out on the patio or deck in summer and returned to sunny windows to get through the winters.  In their native habitat they survive wind and rain and even intense storms, so don’t be afraid to leave them out in downpours or moderate winds. 

The main concern for tropical plants is a rich potting soil, humidity to the leaves and fertilization with watering.  One way to provide an extremely easy and effective fertilizer is to water with a bit of compost mixed in, about two to four tablespoons to every gallon of water. This can be done every time you water your plants-all indoor houseplants will appreciate this organic method and respond favorably with stronger stems and more vivid colors.  (Commercial fertilizers both pellets and liquids may be used according to manufacturers’ directions but compost or compost teas are effective, natural and free.)

Tropical plants will also be happy with leaves that are kept free from dust so that sunlight will be the most efficiently used.  You may dust off the outer and under leaves and stems with a soft, damp cloth that is frequently moistened and rinsed out.  Herbicidal soaps (as per directions) and even a mild solution of dish soap (one teaspoon per gallon of warm water) are good ways to remove indoor and outdoor pollutants such as dust, cigarette smoke, pollen and automobile exhaust.

The following is a list of relatively common tropical plants that are the easiest to grow in our area.  Buy them now in reputable nurseries such with greenhouses that are professionally managed such as Rohslers in Allendale or Metropolitan Plants on Route 17 North in Paramus.   Always look for plants with sturdy, healthy stems and leaves and signs of new growth.  Pass up those with brown spots, curling or dull-colored leaves or those displaying leaf drop, as they may be infected with an often times incurable disease.

Some of the more common plants seen in gardens of the Northeast such as Phlox, Sedum, Bleeding Hearts, Callas, Begonias, Hibiscus, Anthurium and Gaillardia are in Little Shop of Horrors proportions-appearing as shrubs as opposed to individual plants.

Try some of the Bromelias, Codiaeum (Codiaeum Varietateum Petra), Achmeal Fasciata, Dracena Fragrans Lemon Lime, Fatsia Japonica Variegata, Pachiva, Palms: Washingtonia Filifera, Chamaedorea Elegans and Cycas Rumphii, Sansevieria-many varieties of Snake Plant, and Yucca Elephantipes as well as many varieties of the Yucca family. Trumpet flowers, Passiflora and Bougainvillea are exotics worth a try.

Tropical plants need bright light, not necessarily direct sun, 70 percent humidity, pure water-if not bottled but collected rainwater, good soil ( a pro-mix containing peat moss, wood chips, pearlite, charcoal and between 30 to 40 percent coarse sand).  Mist occasionally, keep the leaves clean and fertilize when flowering or experiencing new growth. 

Good luck.