Having a tropical garden can be difficult if you are not in Asia or the South Pacific but it’s not impossible. Bringing colour and exotic plants to your garden can transport you to your private oasis and this can be done all by yourself without having to spend too much. This will also give you a colourful view and a relaxing space where you can hang during hot summers.
Gardening can be an excellent hobby; it is relaxing and can be a way to express yourself. If you plan the landscape you can create roads and places in your garden that reflect your inspiration while it’s decorative.
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What do you need to know about tropical gardens before starting?
Tropical gardens mean tropical plants and this kind needs special care to make them fully bloom. If you want to start this project we recommend you do it during summer, when the heat and humidity are higher. In this climate, your garden will grow better and stronger and will endure the winter without too much trouble.
Moist is another important factor when you cultivate these plants. Even if they can create their moist, they need a lot of water and need to be close to a water source to grow big. This is closely related to the soil too, you must prepare the soil. We will dig into this later, but it is important to have soil rich in organic matter before you start the garden.
If you fear the winter or you don’t have a garden big enough to plant everything, use pots or look for the containers when the winter is close. For the larger plants, you will need a large pot with enough room for the roots and is very important to always check the dryness of the soil during this period, and water every single one as needed.
How to plan your garden
You could hire a professional designer, but this could be expensive and, if you like gardening – or you have green thumbs – you can do this on your own. Is important though that you do first some arranges for the soils and plan how you want your garden to look, this way you can layer your plants in a creative way
Layer the compost on the soil
Tropical plants need nutrients and maybe the soil in your garden isn’t rich enough to make them bloom the way they should. Before you plant something, buy some finished compost and layer that on the soil. You can create your own with organic matter if you want, but it takes months and proper care, we share here a guide if you want to try this.
Another alternative you can use is leaf mulch. Tropical plants don’t need the “dig deep” method, this means you can use leaf mulch, a concentrated layer of leaves that can be layered on the surface of your garden. This mulch will enrich the soil constantly, can hold moisture, and is a perfect weed barricade.
Landscape your foliage
You might want to fill your entire garden with colourful flowers, but the foliage is important too; this will provide your garden with texture, more shapes, and a better structure. If you want to have better results, we recommend you to plan your garden around tall trees or big plants if you want some, then you can start layering middle and small size plants.
Middle and small layers are the most fun to plan and the ones you can exploit on your creativity, creating contrast with colours and shapes. You can also achieve a more natural-looking garden if you plant everything in odd numbers, this way all of the layers and beds will appear natural and won’t give the sensation of blocks.
Pick the right kind of exotic plants
After everything, we said you might be a little scared because a tropical garden sounds like a full-time job, but don’t be, if you choose your plants wisely is pretty low maintenance. Many tropical plants are hard but most of them just need a lot of water and good soil to survive all year long, even in winters.
A good trick is to mix local plants with tropical ones, this way, even in the coldest garden in Britain; these plants will be just fine. These are the picks we recommend:
Chusan palm
Palms are iconic in the South Pacific and this one grows easily anywhere, its leaves are gorgeous and you can keep it on interiors without too much trouble. Plant this in a medium pot if you want it inside your house, keep it facing the sun or in a partial but not full shade and make sure to keep its soil moist.
Passionflower
This flower is stunning, colourful and its shape is incredible. You can grow this plant like a vine or you can train it to be in a container, but we recommend you to plant this in your garden and allow it to grow freely.
Hosta
As a small bush, this plant is ideal for interiors, when it blooms its flowers are tiny purple dots and its leaves can grow in many shapes. You can plant this one in any pot, just keep it in a partial shade and keep its soil a little moist; you can use a spray from time to time.
Cabbage palm
Any tropical garden can’t be complete without a lot of palms, and this one is very popular worldwide because is very low maintenance. When it’s growing is mostly a woody shrub but you can make it look more like a palm by cutting the lower leaves and shaping it. Plant it where it can receive the sun fully or at least partially and keep its soil a little moist.
Jasmine
You might hear about this gorgeous flower in books and poems, and with good motives, this plant is one of the prettiest you can have. Its flowers bloom during spring and summer, this makes it perfect for interiors too because it can grow perfectly in a partial shade and you only need to keep its soil moist.
