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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Coniogramme intermedia 'Yoroi Musha'
Item #: 9022
Zones: 7b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Coniogramme jinggangshanensis 'Shishi'
Item #: 9304
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Crambe maritima
Item #: 14328
Zones: 5b to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Denmark, Europe, France, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Cuphea cyanea 'Ashevilla'
Item #: 11924
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Cuphea micropetala
Item #: 6807
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Curcuma elata
Item #: 2004
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Burma/Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Curcuma longa 'Snowdrift'
Item #: 2296
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Tropical Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Curcuma 'Pink Wonder'
Item #: 5679
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: India
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Cycas x taitoluta
Item #: 10570
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $65.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outCycas taitungensis
Item #: 4683
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 120" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $38.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Cynara cardunculus
Item #: 4949
Zones: 7b to 9b
Dormancy: Summer
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Morocco
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dahlia 'Flame' PP 18,426
Item #: 7480
Zones: 7b to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 28" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outDahlia 'Happy Days Purple'
Item #: 14944
Zones: 7b to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dahlia imperialis 'Double or Nothing'
Item #: 5926
Zones: 7b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 108" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Central America
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dahlia 'Yellow Hammer'
Item #: 4718
Zones: 7a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outDasylirion wheeleri 'Payson Giant'
Item #: 8424
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Disporopsis longifolia 'Asian Heat'
Item #: 16690
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dracunculus vulgaris
Item #: 2821
Zones: 5b to 8b
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mediterranean Europe
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Drimiopsis maculata 'Slow Fade'
Item #: 3661
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: South Africa
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Drimiopsis sp. nov. Kampersrus
Item #: 16674
Zones: 8a to 11, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South Africa
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dyckia choristaminea 'Frazzle Dazzle'
Item #: 8781
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Brazil
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy'
Item #: 8928
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Snow Cream'
Item #: 2246
Zones: 7b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Ensete maurelii
Item #: 4790
Zones: 8a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 120" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Eastern Africa
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $31.00Regular 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.