Tropical garden designs do not have to be expensive or hard work. With a little planning you can create a low cost tropical garden border that is easy to create and very easy to maintain. In this article and accompanying video I share a tropical garden border design that you can use to inspire a tropical style border for your own garden. This border would fit a space of around 2-3m wide by 1-2m deep but can be tweaked to fit whatever space you have available. The best thing about this tropical garden design is that all of the plants used are hardy to USDA Zone 8/9, with many being evergreen tropical style plants that will look fantastic all year. Let’s get into it!
Step 1 – Start with the larger structural tropical style plants
When designing a tropical garden border it is always a good idea to start with your larger plants. The large plants will form the backbone of your tropical garden design, with each smaller plant bringing the larger design together. In this design we use Fatsia, Bananas and Trachycarpus fortunei palm trees to create structure that will last year-round. Low maintenance and low cost large plants are one of the best ways to ensure your garden looks great for 12 months of the year.
Step 2 – Make use of vertical space with tall plants
Tall plants will make use of all the available height in a garden and can help to make small spaces feel much larger. For this tropical style garden border we have used Arundo donax to give the tropical effect. Arundo donax is a giant and fast growing grass-like perennial reed that is gives the same effect as Bamboo without the spreading roots. In the UK it is not invasive as our cooler winters keep it under control, if you live somewhere that is warm year-round then please check if this plant is listed as invasive in your country.
Step 3 – Use hard landscaping or ornaments to create lasting structure
Not everything in your tropical garden design has to be plants. Using hard landscaping or ornaments will help provide structure and focal points in a garden. For this tropical style border I am going to utilise a large terracotta urn to provide a focal point that will remain effective throughout the year. You can use anything you like, perhaps try carved totem poles, a water feature or an artistic sculpture.
Step 4 – Add smaller plants in groups of 3 or 5
Naturalistic style planting schemes benefit from planting in groups odd numbers such as of 3 or 5. The odd numbered groups of plants look much less formal and less ordered than when planting is done in even numbers. For tropical style gardens it can look good to mimic the naturalistic style of a tropical jungle. In this tropical garden design we use groups of evergreen ferns to fill in the gaps and under plant our larger tropical style shrubs. Ferns that you could use include young Dicksonia antarctica, Dryopteris attrata, Asplenium scolopendrium or Dryopteris ‘Cristata The King’. At the front of the border I have also added a Colocasia that is hardy in Zone 8/9, Colocasia ‘Pink China’. Using a hardy Colocasia will provide big tropical foliage every summer without the need to keep buying replacement tropical style plants.
Step 5 – Add flowers for bold tropical colour
Tropical style borders utilise bold and punchy colours. Try to avoid using too many different colours in one area of your garden design as it can appear chaotic and might even start to look more like a cottage garden. For this tropical garden design we are going to use red and purple as our hot tropical colours. For the red exotic flowers we will use Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’. This Dahlia will repeat flower and it’s bright red blooms are complemented by beautiful dark coloured leaves. To bring in the colour purple we will use Salvia ‘Amistad’, another fantastic plant with a long flowering season. Salvia ‘Amistad’ is much more tolerant of shade than other Salvias and will still bloom and grow happily in partial shade. These blooms will also attract pollinating insects to your garden which will bring your outdoor space alive with wildlife, just like a tropical rainforest!
That is all it takes! To maintain this garden each year it should take no more than three days work:
Day 1 (spring): Much your tropical garden with rotted manure to protect the roots, feed the plants, reduce the need for watering and minimise weeds.
Day 2 (summer): In the middle of summer that fast growing plants can become overcrowded, take time to occasionally cut back excessive growth. Your flowering plants will also need deadheading to ensure that they repeat flower.
Day 3 (Autumn/Winter): Mulch with well rotted manure again. This will protect the roots of your tropical style plants from any penetrating winter cold. You can also cut back any dead or frosted growth. It can be beneficial for overwintering insects if you leave tidying up until spring.
Plants used in this tropical garden border design:
Structure: Fatsia polycarpa, Fatsia Japonica, Musa Basjoo, Trachycarpus fortunei
Height: Arundo donax, Trachycarpus fortunei
Foliage: Colocasia ‘Pink China’, Dropteris attrata, Dryopteris ‘Cristata the king’, Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’
Flowers: Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, Salvia ‘Amistad’
Good for wildlife: Salvia ‘Amistad’, Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, Fatsia japonica, Fatsia polycarpa
