Hardy tropical plants can turn your temperate garden into an exotic tropical plant garden reminiscent of a Hawaiian rain forest with cold hardy tropical plants. You may be surprised at just how many varieties of tropical looking plants are hardy for your zone.
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Canna x generalis 'Phasion'
Item #: 2456
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Canna x generalis 'Red Futurity'
Item #: 11643
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 54" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 05/24/2024Sold out -
Canna x generalis 'Red Tiger' PP 30,655
Item #: 13733
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/07/2024Sold out -
Sold out
Canna x generalis 'Red Wine'
Item #: 11804
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Canna x generalis 'Rose Tiger'
Item #: 15865
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Two Tone Tiger'
Item #: 14268
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'White Tiger' PP 32,738
Item #: 13744
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/07/2024Sold out -
Canna x generalis 'Wine and Roses'
Item #: 10520
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Canna glauca 'Panache'
Item #: 2806
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South America, United States
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/28/2024Sold out -
Canna indica 'Red Stripe'
Item #: 3072
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Cardiocrinum giganteum
Item #: 9310
Zones: 6a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Himalayan Mountains
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Colocasia affinis 'Jenningsii'
Item #: 3163
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Himalayan Mountains
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia 'Blackwater'
Item #: 7511
Zones: 7b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Tropical Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia 'Coffee Cups'
Item #: 6668
Zones: 8a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Aloha' PP 29,692
Item #: 12989
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Black Coral' PP 23,896
Item #: 9580
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic'
Item #: 1818
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Black Runner'
Item #: 4867
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 54" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Blue Hawaii' PP 20,003
Item #: 8042
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Coal Miner'
Item #: 6901
Zones: 7a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 54" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Diamond Head' PP 19,939
Item #: 7245
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Elepaio'
Item #: 5370
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Hawaiian Punch' PP 24,596
Item #: 2469
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Colocasia esculenta 'Jack's Giant'
Item #: 7400
Zones: 7a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per
More Information About Tropical Looking Plants
It's a jungle out there! We have a large selection of cold hardy tropical plants including Curcuma (Hidden Cone Ginger), Canna (Canna Lilies), Musa (Banana), Hedychium (Ginger Lilies) and more. These exotic plants make your temperate garden resemble a tropical paradise.
Some of us here in the cool latitudes (and even some people in the nerdy latitudes) have exotic plant envy and want a garden full of tropical looking plants. Luckily for us, there are a few equatorial plants that have developed some cold hardiness and there are a few temperate zone plants with a distinct tropical exotic plant look. Make your temperate garden reminiscent of Hawaii today with tropical-looking exotic plants like bananas, cannas and aroids.
Hardy Tropical Plants
Exactly which cold hardy tropical plants you can grow in your garden depends on where you live. In our zone 7b garden in Raleigh, NC we have many hardy tropical plants for sale including:
- Bananas like Musa, Musella, and Ensete
- Large-leaved perennials and tall perennials like Tetrapanax, Philodendron, Heliconia, Manihot, Hedychium, Canna, and Curcuma
- Hardy forms of exotic tropical ginger lilies like Zingiber and Alpinia
- Elephant ears like Colocasia, Alocasia, Remusatia
- Exotic aroids like Amorphophallus
- Tropical tall ornamental grasses and other grass-like plants such as Arundo, Saccharum and Chlorophytum
- Exotic-looking bamboos like Fargesia, Borinda and Bambusa
- Shade-loving exotic plants like Aspidistra, Rohdea and Tupistra
- Tropical flowering exotic plants like Bauhinia, Begonia, Cuphea, Gloxinia and tropical Dahlia
- Woody-perennials like Cycas, Hibiscus, Abutilon and Brugmansia
- Tropical-looking hardy Ferns like Coniogramme
- Hardy Palm trees such as Phoenix, Sabal, Washingtonia, Rhapidophyllum and Butia
Exotic Desert Plants
In addition, there are certain temperate zone and desert plants that are distinctly exotic- looking in temperate climates including:
- Succulents like Agave, Aloe, Yucca, Dyckia, Echeveria, Nolina, Opuntia and Dasylirion
- Bulbs like Dracunculus, Zantedeschia and Hymenocallis
- South African natives like Eucomis and Scadoxus
- Ferns like Onoclea, Thelypteris and Pteris
The list below contains many more cold hardy tropical plants for all types of gardens. When you are ready to buy tropical looking plants for your garden, check out our online list of exotic plants for sale.
Additional Resources
Read our article - How to Over-winter Tropical Plants
Check out our Gardening Unplugged videos
Gardening Unplugged is our series of short garden chats recorded during our Open Nursery and Garden Days.