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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Sabal 'Blackburniana'
Item #: 6220
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 180" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal x brazoriensis
Item #: 1741
Zones: 7b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 240" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSabal etonia
Item #: 3857
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal miamiensis
Item #: 14303
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 78" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal minor 'McCurtain'
Item #: 2006
Zones: 6b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal x palmarum 'Me Too' (palmetto x causiarum)
Item #: 16953
Zones: 8b to 10b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 360" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSabal rosei 'Augusta Rose'
Item #: 17571
Zones: 8a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 480" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price perThis plant is available for JLBG Members only.
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Sabal tamaulipensis
Item #: 6222
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSabal uresana
Item #: 5650
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 720" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSambucus canadensis 'Blonde Envy'
Item #: 16985
Zones: 5a to 9a, guessing
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per
Next crop available: 02/06/2026Sold out -
Sambucus 'Chocolate Marzipan'
Item #: 17496
Zones: 5a to 9a
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 144" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sambucus nigra 'Golden Tower' PP 28,957
Item #: 18552
Zones: 3b to 8a, guessing
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 120" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Asia, Europe, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price perThis plant is available for JLBG Members only.
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Sambucus racemosa 'Welsh Gold' PP 26,425
Item #: 18553
Zones: 3b to 8a, guessing
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Asia, Europe, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price perThis plant is available for JLBG Members only.
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Sarracenia 'Blood Orange'
Item #: 11386
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $45.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia 'Bug Bat'
Item #: 11736
Zones: 5b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 16" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia x chelsonii 'Barba Green'
Item #: 17891
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia 'Dixie Lace'
Item #: 3060
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia 'Dutch Stevens'
Item #: 14836
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 28" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia flava
Item #: 1012
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia flava 'Very Close Veins'
Item #: 9376
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia 'June Bug'
Item #: 12667
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia leucophylla 'Tarnok'
Item #: 4339
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarracenia leucophylla var. heterophylla 'Tea and Crumpets'
Item #: 17098
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per
Sold out -
Sarracenia x leucopurea 'Fiona'
Item #: 17901
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular 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.