Post #160745 by nuimaleko on Sun, May 22, 2005 2:18 PM

As a member of MSN's Subtropical Gardening forum and Garden Web's Tropicalesque Garden forum, this is subject that comes up all the time. In areas farther north than zone 8, there is not much that you can call "tropical" that will live in the ground year round, but people have been digging up the roots of cannas, callas, dahlias, four o'clocks, gladiolias, caladiums and tuberous begonias and storing them for the winter since Victorian times.Other tropicals can be kept in pots and stored dormant in a basement or warm garage.(anywhere dark and dry that they won't freeze)If you want to create a truly hardy tropical looking landscape look to two places, Japanese gardens and the northern woods. Under high branched broadleafed trees try bamboo, large leafed rhododendron, small dogwoods, azaleas and vibernum to make a great backdrop. (dogwoods, azaleas and rhododenrons will be finished blooming before the tropicals come out) Add smaller broadleafed, ferny or grass like flowering or foliage plants like hardy cyclamen,European ginger, bergenia, lirope, mondo grass, japanese anemone, hostas, coral bells, bleeding hearts, cordalys, spiderwort, leopard plant, hardy orchids and other woodland plants for a lush look. Any fern will add to the lushness of the landscape, but leave some spaces empty for true tropicals. In full sun try ginko trees (these ancient survivors lived with the dinosuars and still look good in a tropical setting)or sumac. There are hardy perenial hibiscus that will come back year after year and don't forget the hardy shrub hibiscus...Rose of Sharon, some varieties have flowers that are hard to tell apart from the tropical ones. Even hollyhocks (a hibiscus relative)can look good. Also in full sun try castor oil beans, there are many colored and varigated ones and they grow huge in one summer. Other large growing, hot colored annuals (most of our annual garden plants are actually originally from the tropics as opposed to most periennials)can be used too, just avoid single daisy types and others that have a strong association with cottage gardens. The more unusual looking the better. Lilies are treasured all over the world including the tropics. In this case the bigger the better. Even roses can add to the look if the foliage is lush and the flowers are in hot pinks, oranges and reds like 'Tropicana'.
Then when the weather is warm enough, plant your stored tropical bulbs and sink your stored potted tropicals in the spaces you have left for them in your design. Inexpensive houseplants like areca palms can be used as annuals and tossed at the end of the summer if needed. Palms, and bananas scream "tropical" so be sure to add at least one or two. Most palms can be over wintered as housplants and bananas can be stored dormant.
In the fall when the tropicals and annuals are gone you will still have a largely evergreen landscape to enjoy all winter and a colorful spring.