Seven Essentials of Creating a Tropical Garden

Guys! Our recent trip to Bali has given me some major tropical garden inspo and ideas! After returning home, I’ve been madly researching how to get the tropical look and what plants will work in my area.

I’ve always loved tropical gardens, but shied away from having them myself for fear of them turning out tacky. But seeing the seriously lush and creative landscapes in Bali has me wanting to recreate one – once and for all! So if you’re interested in having your own tropical paradise, I’ve compiled my seven essentials of creating a tropical garden to get you headed in the right direction.

Seven Essentials of Creating a Tropical Garden

Broad-Leaf Plants

Tropical plants and gardens are trademarked by oversized, broad-leaf plants. If you only have a small space, you may decide to just have a few large plants, but definitely use the addition of at least a couple to give the scale and drama that we all love about the tropics. Plants that are great for scale include the giant Bird of Paradise, Wandering Palms, Heliconias and my most recent discovery, the giant-leaved Calathea Lutea or Havana Cigar Plant. I can’t wait to add a few of these to my own tropical space!

Colour

You may have noticed that tropical landscapes aren’t just lush, but colourful! Colour can be incorporated through flowers but also a range of coloured foliage plants. If you love flowers, think about including Frangipani trees, Bougainvillea (these plants seem to transcend all styles!), and even flowering ground covers like Voilets. If you would rather year-round colour in your garden, there are a range of colourful foliage plants you can use. Check out broad-leaved Cannas, multicoloured Crotons, and my personal favourite – a range of pink Cordylines (for other pink-foliaged plants, check these out).

Density

It pretty much goes without saying that any tropical space is lush and dense! This density creates interest – there is always something to look at, and no angle is boring. In nature, tropical plants are grappling for light, brushing against one another and growing out of control! Whether you achieve this by densely planting your garden straight away, or allowing the plants to grow and expand over time is up to you. To achieve this quickly (or inexpensively), look at planting clumping and spreading types of plants that will eventually take up more space. Think about bamboos, mondo grass, runners and ground covers.

Layers and Dynamics

A major point of interest in tropical gardens is the layers of plants and contrast of leaf shape & colour. Most tropical gardens work best when they mimic the tropics in nature, aka layering. At the bottom level, there are ground covers that spread over the rainforest floor. Next are mid-sized plants, and finally taller plants that reach the sunlight and also provide shade for the smaller plants below. Keep in mind when creating your garden how big your plants with grow – keep the taller ones at the back and smaller ones at the front to echo this dynamic.

Similarly, play with the shapes, textures and colours of plants by placing contrasting styles next to each other. Where a formal garden is structured, like-with-like and orderly, tropical gardens appear to be random (although are actually well thought out). They have a complete mix of dynamics and contrasting colours.

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Adding Natural Features

One of my favourite aspects of tropical landscapes doesn’t have to do with plants at all! In Balinese-style tropical gardens, there will almost always be a feature to break up the plants. This may be a statue, pebbles, a natural stone path or wooden bench. Think about creating interest by adding into your garden elements of wood, stone, rock and natural pavers. Even putting some plants in pots, then placing them in the garden can help achieve this look.

Water

A lot of tropical Balinese gardens include water in one way or another. If you have a pool, that makes it easy! If not, you still don’t need to go crazy with the water features. Think about a small concrete bowl of water to house water lilies, papyrus or other water plants. This will give your garden a cooling effect, create interest and give a focal point.

Creative Surprises

I loved the creativity of the Balinese when using nature! Like this little narrow planter of grass beside our villa door. While we were staying there, they cut the grass and within a couple of days, it was already growing again! A pot of overflowing creepers, a grass planter, an orchid tied to a tree… Let creativity be the limit as you make pockets of interest and uniqueness in your garden.

Some final notes on how to grow tropical plants in your area:

Even if you live in a cooler climate, it is still possible to achieve a tropical look using the above steps and plants that suit your climate! Make sure you know what each plants’ needs are, for example some tropical plants prefer full sun while other are more shade loving. Getting this right is the first step!

Tropical plants need a well draining soil. If you don’t have this, you may need to do some ground work first. Break up the ground and add in a well-draining mix. Mulch is also a necessity for tropical plants, as it stops water loss by evaporation and adds nutrients to the soil. If you live in an area that gets frosts or close to freezing, see what plants will grow in your area. You can still have a tropical inspired garden with plants that fit the bill – broad leaves, colour and texture, and dense plantings will all help you achieve this look.

So, are you interested in seeing how my own little tropical garden is coming along? Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see the above steps in action!