Outdoor tropical plants have a way of bringing a little slice of paradise right to our front doors.
His key tip: Don’t skimp on the soil.
“Good soilis huge.
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Then they wonder why they’re not doing well.
It’s all the soil.”
The other important thing to know is your area’s hardiness zone.
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According to Alexander, most places in the South have the necessary rainfall to support tropical plants.
The limiting factor is the cold.
Now that you’re prepared, here are our favorite tropical plants for enjoying outdoors in the South.
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Michael Alexander is co-founder ofAustin Plant Supplyin Texas and has been in the nursery business since 2009.
Bamboo
“Bamboo is considered a tropical plant,” Alexander says.
If you live in an area that can freeze, many kinds of bamboo are reliable.
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“They usually make it every winter.
It can get [down to] 19, 20 degrees and they’re usually fine.
Deer avoid it (wear gloves when handling this plant) and the shrub is drought-tolerant.
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Plus, it isn’t prone to disease or pests, making it relatively easy to care for.
North of Zone 9, you might cut it back and store it in the garage for overwintering.
Ferns are extremely versatile: There arethousands to choose fromand many are frost-hardy.
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Lady fern is very common across the Eastern and Central United States.
Some other types to consider include the Southern maidenhair fern or the ebony spleenwort.
Most ferns do well in partial or full shade in rich, well-draining soil.
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“It’s got really brilliant red, orange, and yellow flowers,” Alexander says.
“It loves the hot sun and the heat.”
As a native of Texas and southern Florida, esperanza does especially well in Zones 10b and 11.
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Fertilizer and regular moisture are a must during the growing season.
Bougainvillea
Some bougainvillea vines can reach 40 feet and all thrive in hot, dry conditions.
The vines produce masses of flowers surrounded by papery bracts in fuchsia, orange, or gold.
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“Bougainvillea is considered semi-tropical,” Alexander says.
“If it gets too cold, they will die back to the ground.”
Dwarf Palmetto
Dwarf palmetto is a small, shrubby, often stemless understory fan palm.
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Alexander says, “It’s low-growing.
It’s pretty; it looks tropical and it’s great.
[Sabal minoris] a really good one that people should plant.
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It’s as tough as can be.
It can handle sun or shade.
It’s drought tolerant but grows well if you water it.”
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Dwarf palmetto grows in Zones 7 to 10 from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas.
The plant naturally occurs in the Pacific Islands and fares best in similar climates.
He also notes that in the American South, crotons are displayed in the fall because of theirseasonal colors.
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Bonus: They’re absolutely delightful with swooping, abundant flowers in sherbet tones.
However, trumpet vine is a very vigorous growing plant and must be kept in check.
If you live in parts of Florida, this is the flower for you.
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In other climates, grow it as a patio plant in summer.
Ixora
Ixora shrubs produce clusters of bright flowers with velvety petals and glossy leaves.
Think intense, tropical hues of red, pink, and orange.
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In the right climateZones 10 and 11ixora will easily become a hedge.
The shrub requires a lot of moisture and may die back outside of southern Florida.
Most have heart-shaped, deeply veined leaves in pale or deep green or purple.
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Canna Lily
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Not actually a lily, cannas have banana-leaf-like foliage and tropical looking blooms.
The rhizomes of this tough plant also spread readily, making it a great pass-along plant.
Plant them in moist, loamy, well-drained, fertile soil and keep them slightly moist.
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The mounded plants are blanketed with pink, purple, white, or red flowers.
Most newer varieties do well in part sun.
The foliage has green veins and can be speckled or splashed with red, pink, or white.
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Plant it in a container for your shady patio or a spot with rich, loamy soil.
Other cultivars are grown for their foliage, with polka-dotted, silver-striped, or spiral-shaped leaves.
Usually grown as annuals, begonias can become perennial in Zones 10 and 11.
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In a more tropical clime, angel’s trumpet is evergreen.
It releases perfume to pervade entire neighborhoods in spring, drawing people and bees alike.
Many are hardy in Zone 7 or even farther north.
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Despite the common name, sago palm is actually a cycad and produces cones instead of flowers.
These cycads grow very slowly and can take 50 years to reach 10 feet in height.
But you may not have known that this tuft of striking foliage will begin to sprout a trunk.
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This plant actually grows as the lanky “cabbage tree” in its native New Zealand.
you could grow pentas in any well-drained soil, where it will become drought-tolerant once established.
It blooms from spring through fall in white, pink, lavender, or red.
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Full sun will help with the flowering, but pentas will bloom in partial shade as well.
And pollinators love it.
In short, pentas is a great, fuss-free flower for any Southern garden.
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Instead, the plant is grown for eye-popping foliage in colors like chartreuse or deep burgundy.
The easy-to-grow plant works well as ground cover or spilling from container pots.
Leaves can be three-lobed, heart-shaped, or deeply cut like a Japanese maple leaf.
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As self-propagating plants, the sweet potato vine can quickly take over in frost-free areas.
Amaryllis
Yes, you could plant those scarlet red flowers you weregrowing indoors at Christmas.
There are pink and white varieties of these large, trumpet-shaped flowers atop tall stems too.
Amaryllis bulbs can survive in the ground in Zone 8 and warmer to naturally bloom in spring.
In frost-free areas, plant the bulbs in well-drained soil with the neck just above ground level.
verify not to overwater amaryllis, particularly in winter and when it is not actively growing.
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