Mysest56 
November 29, 2020
Tropical landscaping with perennial plants is amazingly easy. Plants with big, lush leaves and also brightly coloured flowers produce a tropical effect. Choose plants in an assortment of sizes to fill your borders with lively interest. Perennial plants return year after year.
Structure
Use big, bold perennials to present your border structure. Blood banana (Musa zebrina) includes big, fleshy green leaves with arbitrary purple blotches that make it appear highly exotic. Growing around 6 feet high, this plant loves full sun and is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. Bear’s breeches (Acanthus mollis) is another plant with bold leaves. It grows up to 6 feet high, is evergreen and produces 3-foot tall spires of white flowers in the summer. It grows well in USDA zones 7 through 11.
Flowers
Richly coloured, bold flowers are an essential highlight in tropical borders, and several blossoms are more striking than the brilliant red, summer flowers of Crocosmia “Lucifer.” Hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9, this plant also has powerful, sword-like leaves. Looking discreetly exotic, the toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) is another great option. Its white, purple-spotted, star-shaped blossoms are borne on 2 1/2-feet-tall stems from late summer and fall. This is a plant for the shady regions of your edge and is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9.
Background
The feature color of tropical borders is green in its many textures and colours. Two crops to fill the backdrop are elephant’s ear (Alocasia micholitziana “Frydek”) and also cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior). Usually grown as houseplants for their interesting foliage, both of these plants grow happily in colour. Hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11, elephant’s ear leaves are 18 inches long and deep emerald green with white veins that are daring. Cast iron plant are hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10, and grows up to 3 feet high with glossy leaves.
Groundcover
Evergreen wild ginger (Asarum shuttleworthii) is a low-growing, evergreen plant with the glossy green foliage desired in a circular edge. This really is a low-maintenance, slow-grower with heart-shaped, marbled leaves. Hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, it spreads around 12 inches broad and covers the floor to help prevent weeds taking support. Another groundcover plant is southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris). Its airy foliage provides light relief, and it grows happily in shade or part shade in USDA zones 7 through 11.