Big bold, unexpected plants are a great way to add drama to your summer displays
It is one matter to make beautiful containers with your go - to plants , but why stop there ? bluff texture , unusual forms , and unexpected colors can turn up the volume on any arrangement . That is why at Tangletown Gardens in Minneapolis , we like to push our container figure over the top with standout tropic plants . Whether they include unusual excerption or old houseplant favourite reimagined , these combinations are a great way to ensure that your pots are exceptionally fun and eye - catching this season .
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How to Keep Tropical Plants well-chosen
See Our Container Gardening Guide
Tropical Inspiration for Shade Containers
Give pretty houseplants a summer vacation
Many flora we traditionally think of as houseplants are actually tropical plant , and they will be very much at rest home in an outside container for the summer . adjudicate pairing a pet houseplant like ‘ Polly ’ elephant ’s spike with an unusual bromeliad , or set off the blue , smooth leaves of ‘ Burgundy ’ rubber tree with the bright , fuzzy foliage of felt up bush . Do n’t be afraid to play with your flora , pushing the limits of demarcation and mannequin . drop anchor your designs with a reiterate element , like containers in the same sheer color , will marry your aim together no matter which plants you settle to include .
1 . ‘ Polly ’ elephant ’s ear(Alocasia‘Polly ’ , Zones 9–11 )
2 . Vriesea bromeliad(Goudaea ospinaevar.gruberi , Zone 11 )
3 . Eyelash fern(Actiniopterisaustralis , Zones 10–11 )
4 . ‘ Burgundy ’ rubber tree(Ficus elastica‘Burgundy ’ , Zones 10–12 )
5 . Felt bush(Kalanchoe beharensis , Zones 10–12 )
6 . Cuban peperomia(Peperomia cubensis , Zones 10–12 )
7 . Madagascar palm(Pachypodium lamerei , Zones 9–11 )
8 . Aquamarine(Pilea glauca , Zones 9–11 )
Take a cue from your container color
Tall tropical plants can easy be used to create a living frame . Try placing a unequaled plant you desire to highlight at the center of your design , and take cues from your container to make certain it ’s the center of attention . Stretching up and out , miry Felis concolor croton matches the sheer yellowness of this container , creating a surroundings of neon people of colour , while the trailing foliage of drawing string of watermelons echoes the pattern of colour on the croton ’s leaves , but with a reversal of the color dodging . foreground by this frame is the blunt contrast of the large , lambent leave of absence of ‘ Florida Moonlight ’ caladium ground by the finer texture and sullen colour of ‘ Black Velvet ’ begonia .
1 . Sloppy painter croton(Codiaeum variegatum‘Eleanor Roosevelt ’ , Zones 10–11 )
2 . strand of watermelons(Curio herreanussyn . Senecio herreanus , Zones 9–11b )
3 . ‘ Florida Moonlight ’ caladium(Caladium‘Florida Moonlight ’ , zone 8–11 )
4 . ‘ Black Velvet ’ begonia(Begonia‘Black Velvet ’ , Zones 10–11 )
Pull together a palette of coordinating patterns
An fantabulous way to make a cohesive container is to work with a single type of plant life in a battalion of multifariousness . For example , a compendium of calatheas ( and a prayer plant cousin ) with their pleasingrange of patterns and habits fills this basket arrangement with plushy tropical copiousness . shed out the recipe book , and gather plants that are related . Then play with the sizes , texture , and colors to createa grouping that highlight both their similarities and their differences .
1 . Furry feather calathea(Goeppertia rufibarba , Zones 10–12 )
2 . Rattlesnake calathea(Goeppertia insignis , Zones 10–12 )
3 . circle - leaf calathea(Goeppertia orbifolia , Zones 10–11 )
4 . ‘ Vittata ’ calathea(Goeppertia elliptica‘Vittata ’ , Zones 10–11 )
5 . ‘ Yellow Fusion ’ calathea(Goeppertia‘Yellow Fusion ’ , Zones 10–12 )
6 . ‘ Lemon Lime ’ prayer plant(Maranta leuconeura‘Lemon Lime ’ , Zones 11–12 )
7 . Pinstripe calathea(Goeppertia ornata , zone 10–11 )
Set vibrant hues against a green backdrop
Nothing feels more tropical than a large flare-up of gloss . ‘ Maria ’ genus Cordyline brings the high temperature to the larger container , and the same pink tones are picked up by ‘ Miss Muffet ’ caladium in the little pot . Houseplants such assatin pothos and maidenhair vine add an surplus punch of texture , and the fine foliation of the maidenhair vine is mirrored by that of the artillery fern . To keep the centering on the raging pink highlights , the colorful principal of the show are set against a verdant backcloth of audacious kiwi vine and bromeliad .
1 . ‘ Maria ’ cordyline(Cordyline fruticosa‘Maria ’ , Zones 9–12 )
2 . Hardy kiwi fruit vine(Actinidia arguta , Zones 3–8 )
3 . Artillery fern(Pilea microphylla , geographical zone 11–12 )
4 . Satin pothos(Scindapsus pictus , Zones 10–12 )
5 . ‘ Miss Muffet ’ caladium(Caladium‘Miss Muffet ’ , zone 8–11 )
6 . Maidenhair vine(Muehlenbeckia complexa‘Triloba ’ , Zones 7–10 )
7 . Bloody bromeliad(Neoregelia cruenta , Zone 11 )
8 . ‘ Pacific Blue Ice ’ hen and chicks(Sempervivum‘Pacific Blue Ice ’ , Zone 3–8 )
Tip:Sturdier plants can take full sun
When picking tropical plants for gay locating , check their labels and choose for plants with tougher , more scorch - resistive leaves , such as banana ( Musaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–11 ) and succulent .
Create a combo that soaks up the sun
Putting together an outdoor container design give us the exemption to force the limits of each plant ’s preferred ecological ecological niche . While we would never find‘Blue Arrows ’ hard rush and ‘ Flapjacks ’ kalanchoe living together in the state of nature , they are able to grow together harmoniously for the time of year paired in a container in full to restrained Lord’s Day that gets plenty of piddle . Including a single succulent in any tropical container draws the oculus and create a playful feel due to the unexpected nature of the addition . Despite what many people think , almost all succulent will do well when copulate with other yearly and tropicals in a seasonal container . Just ensure the container is getting at least six hours of direct light source per Clarence Day .
1 . ‘ down Arrows ’ hard rush(Juncus inflexus‘Blue pointer ’ , Zones 4–9 )
2 . ‘ flapcake ’ kalanchoe(Kalanchoe thyrsiflora‘Flapjacks ’ , Zones 10–12 )
3 . ‘ Marrakesh ’ coleus(Coleus scutellarioides‘Marrakesh ’ , Zone 11 )
4 . delicious ® Royale Piña Colada lantana(Lantana camara*‘LANZ0004 ’ , Zones 9–11 )
5 . Chenille plant(Acalypha hispida , Zones 10–11 )
6 . favourable dwarf sweet flag(Acorus gramineus‘Ogon ’ zone 5–9 )
7 . ‘ Bourbon Street ’ copperleaf(Acalypha wilkesiana‘Bourbon Street ’ , Zones 10–11 )
8 . Dittany of Crete(Origanum dictamnus , Zones 7–10 )
9 . ‘ Parfum d’Ethiopia ’ artemisia(Artemisia ludoviciana‘Parfum d’Ethiopia ’ , Zones 6–11 )
- See trespassing alarm below .
1 . Nipponese banana(Musa basjoo , Zones 5–10 )
2 . Rex begonia vine(Cissus discolor , Zone 11 )
3 . variegate pussyfoot fig(Ficus pumila‘Variegata ’ , Zones 9–11 )
4 . Variegated trilateral leaf fig(Ficus triangularis‘Variegata ’ , Zone 12 )
5 . Titan ™ Lilac vinca(Catharanthus roseus‘PAS336360 ’ , yearly )
6 . ‘ Whipcord ’ westerly red cedar(Thuja plicata‘Whipcord ’ , Zones 5–7 )
7 . ‘ firing ’ coleus(Coleus scutellarioides‘Ignition ’ , Zone 11 )
Tip: Some like it shady
In their aboriginal home ground , many common tropic plants are understory jungle plants that populate on the forest floor . These plants will do best in partial - sunlight location with two to four minute of direct brightness per Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . Some more delicate plants , such as calatheas and ferns , prefer sphere with even lower amounts of brightness and will thrive in dappled subtlety .
*Invasive alert: Lantana(Lantana camara)
This plant life is considered invasive in AL , FL , and TX .
Please visitinvasiveplantatlas.orgfor more info .
Scott Endres , Derrik Gagliardi , and Laura Mathews are horticulturists and decorator at Tangletown Gardens in Minneapolis .
photograph : Tracy Walsh
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