Tropical gardens growing in cooler countries often thrive most in the vibrant summer months, when plentiful daylight hours nourish green leaves and warm nights tease new growth from even the most stubborn of plants. Though many tropical stye gardeners might wish for the bounty of summer to remain throughout the year, natures cooler seasons will inevitably arrive bringing with them changes for a tropical garden.
In the midst of autumn the days become shorter and the night air carries a chill that reminds us tropical style gardeners that winter is on its way. Deciduous trees shed their fiery canopy of leaves in autumn storms, scattering nature’s beautiful mulch onto the beds and borders. The enormous sail-like leaves of Banana plants gently sway, now bearing scars from the more frequent winds and rain. Herbaceous perennials push on determined, with only the first frost of the season successfully persuading them into their winter sleep.
The plants that live in Grow Paradise garden seem to be in denial that autumn has arrived at all. Bold tropical foliage still fills the borders, with Colocasia plants surrounding the shimmering surface of our water bowl. Tropical fruits are forming on the trunk of our mountain Papaya tree, now seemingly feeling more at home with the cold winds than the heat of summer. Tropical Bromeliads are growing in the branches of our trees, their rosettes filling with cool rain water and their colours flushing more intensely in the winter sun.
As a Gardener I like to enjoy this short period in the garden. A time where you can celebrate the achievements of summer right beside the beauty of autumn and early winter. Only in this small window of time can you watch morning due trickle down the hydrophobic leaves of a Colocasia plant, flora more at home in the unrelenting heat of the tropics. Only now can you enjoy the orange and red hues of autumn leaves partnered with the fiery summer flowers of Abutilons.
In this video I share with you which tropical style plants in the Grow Paradise garden are surpassing expectations for a British autumn. I’ll also share some surprises that I’ve spotted while strolling through our small patch of paradise. I hope that you find some inspiration and ideas, and as ever, I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Happy growing! Thanks, Craig.
