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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Fatsia japonica 'Variegata'
Item #: 5618
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Fuchsia 'Sanihanf'
Item #: 7450
Zones: 7a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gloriosa simplex
Item #: 11560
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Eastern Africa, Southern Africa
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gloxinia 'Little Red'
Item #: 11082
Zones: 7b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 16" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gloxinia nematanthodes 'Evita'
Item #: 5556
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Argentina
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Hedychium 'Anne Bishop'
Item #: 9272
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $34.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium coccineum 'Slim's Orange'
Item #: 8231
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium coronarium
Item #: 1308
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Tropical Asia
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium 'Daniel Weeks'
Item #: 3218
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 50" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $33.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium deceptum
Item #: 15005
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Assam region of India, Burma/Myanmar, India
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $36.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium 'Fiesta'
Item #: 9683
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $34.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium flavum 'Prayer Flags'
Item #: 6731
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Vietnam
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium gardnerianum 'Compactum'
Item #: 2991
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Nepal
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $34.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium 'Kin Ôgi'
Item #: 7459
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $34.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium 'Raffillii'
Item #: 4693
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Himalayan Mountains, Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hedychium 'Vanilla Ice'
Item #: 8099
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $39.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outHelicodiceros muscivorus
Item #: 8667
Zones: 6a to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mediterranean Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hellenia speciosa 'Wizard of Oz'
Item #: 18009
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: China, India, Indonesia, North Vietnam, Tropical Asia, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hemiboea cavaleriei
Item #: 18461
Zones: 7b to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outHemiboea strigosa
Item #: 17213
Zones: 8a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hemiboea subacaulis var. jiangxiensis 'Jiangxi Bells'
Item #: 17214
Zones: 7b to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hemiboea subcapitata
Item #: 7180
Zones: 6b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hesperaloe parviflora
Item #: 917
Zones: 6a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hesperaloe parviflora 'Coral Glow' PP 29,626
Item #: 12284
Zones: 5b to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular 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.