Tropical gardens rely more on foliage for their colour than bedding plants. By using plants with leaf colour one also gets a show the whole year round. To create interest in a tropical garden the foliage should be big bold and dramatic. Use contrasting colours and plant in bold groups to really make the foliage pop.

For maximum impact, position plants with red, yellow, orange, pink, purple leaves near each other. There are many shrubs that flower with the bold foliage to add to the look. Just think back to gardens along the KZN coast from your summer holidays. There are always plants such as hibiscus, ornamental ginger, bougainvillea and even canna lilies that flower in abundance and will provide further contrast to the vibrant ground covers and the trees above.

One of the key secrets to a tropical garden is overplanting. The full beds will push some plants up and help to create a almost jungle look. With a full planted garden always remember to feed as there will be more competition. The other secret is to try not cut too many plants back, especially in the first few years to allow them to shape naturally and to get that wilder look which everybody loves in a tropical garden.

Tropical type plants don’t only belong in a tropical garden. They add a lush texture to any garden so it is easy to add some into your existing garden to spice up the look as it were. Palms are a key element to any tropical garden but so to are Cordylines and flaxes. Here are some of the other plants we think you should consider adding to your garden to lend that something extra to the Tropical oasis.

Some of our favourites for any garden

Phormium Apricot - This flax grow in sun to half-day sun. A dwarf flax, it grows to about half a meter in height and diameter. Use them as fillers between taller shrubs and as a contrast to plants with darker foliage.
Cordyline pink - There are number of new coloured Cordylines on the market. The new varieties grow as a clump and are really something different to have in the garden. As they grow the leaves will stretch to over a meter in length and they dip and wave in the breeze which adds movement to the garden.
Plant them in full sun or dappled shade in the garden or in containers. They look particularly striking in containers near the pool or framing a gateway.

Duranta - There are yellow, variegated and green leafed Duranta that grow as quick shrubs to screen walls or even to create the backdrop to plantings of smaller shrubs across the front of a bed. The green Duranta Sapphire Shower is particularly striking as it grows to about 4 meters in a season or two and has graceful branches dripping with bunches of blue flowers almost all summer.
Plant them in full sun and for a tropical look don’t be tempted to trim them. Let them go a bit wild and you will be rewarded with a spectacular show.
Solanum Blue - Potato bushes are extremely popular in our local area but are often constantly hedged. For a tropical garden allow them to grow naturally, you will be surprised as to how they simply cover in flowers.

Waterwise and tough they will grow in some shade but flower best if given maximum sun. They are also available in white but it is the blue that is simply the best performer. There are two blues on the market so try the dark purple blue for a more intense colour or just love the royal blue as we do.

Phormium - All flaxes are not bright colours some are green to plum tones and there are even yellow leafed varieties. In a tropical garden there is always space for one more flax. Use them not only as a colour contrast but also for texture.
Flax will grow in any soil conditions, growing in sun and shade. The greener they are the more shade they take and the pinker they are the more sun they will need.