2005 Year in Review

Tropical Plants as Annual Flower Borders

Rubber plant

Dieffenbachia

Spider plant

Spathiphyllum

Pothos

Croton

As home gardeners seek to draw attention to their work, an old idea is gaining new currency--adding tropical plants to annual flower borders, said Greg Stack, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator based in Cook County.

"It's easy to create a unique display of tropical foliage even if you are gardening in the Midwest," Stack explained. "In most cases, we enjoy summers that get plenty of sun, heat and humidity along with occasional heavy rains. These conditions fuel the growth of tropicals into high gear so that even if you start out with small specimens, they grow unbelievably fast and turn into large, imposing plants in a matter of weeks.

"In July and August, when temperatures and humidity are the highest, traditional garden plants often struggle to look good, but tropicals are in their element and look outstanding."

Stack points out that the idea of using tropical or tropical-looking plants to create the feel of a tropical setting is nothing new.

"Plant collectors have grown and collected them for hundreds of years. Annuals such as geraniums, impatiens and begonias are actually tropicals," he said. "During Victorian times, tropicals were all the rage. Lavish outdoor displays were created during the summer and then these plants were moved into 'glass houses' to be over-wintered for use in the next season's garden. This style of gardening was novel at the time. It is seeing a revival because it tends to draw attention to the garden."

A border planted with tropicals gets better as the season progresses, Stack noted. Many popular houseplants such as rubber plant, dieffenbachia, spider plant, spathiphyllum, pothos, and croton, when rescued from dark corners of your home, make excellent additions to the tropical border. These can be grown directly in the ground or in containers.

"Plants in containers can be placed by entrances, patios and decks or plunged into the ground in annual or perennial borders," he said. "This makes it easier to move them inside for the winter.

Stack recommended at U of I Extension web site, Tropical Punch for more information.

“Just incorporate a few tropical plants into an annual flower garden border and wait for the second looks, stares, ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from visitors to the garden,” he said. “They will wonder if they are in the Midwest or many miles south.”

by  Editor, theCity1.com
March 28, 2005