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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Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'
Item #: 6301
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $42.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Podophyllum versipelle ssp. boreale
Item #: 1548
Zones: 5a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pontederia cordata 'Sopchoppy'
Item #: 17198
Zones: 5a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pyrrosia 'Eboshi'
Item #: 10020
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 5" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pyrrosia lingua 'Alabama Gold'
Item #: 4104
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outPyrrosia lingua 'Corymbifera'
Item #: 1507
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outPyrrosia polydactyla
Item #: 2145
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pyrrosia polydactyla 'Taipingshan'
Item #: 10024
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pyrrosia subfurfuracea 'Red China'
Item #: 14901
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Remusatia pumila 'Mini Mask'
Item #: 5186
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 14" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, India
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Rohdea japonica 'Goin' Curlin'
Item #: 18273
Zones: 6b to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Rohdea japonica 'Yori-Kaku-no-Matsa'
Item #: 12928
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Rudbeckia maxima
Item #: 355
Zones: 4a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 80" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal 'DeFuniak'
Item #: 15648
Zones: 7b to 10b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 400" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular 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 -
Sold outSabal minor 'Emerald Isle Giant'
Item #: 6684
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 84" 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 minor 'Pittsview'
Item #: 18223
Zones: 6b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 36" 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 -
Sold outSabal minor 'Rebecca Creek'
Item #: 18029
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 minor var. louisiana
Item #: 5175
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 144" 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 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 -
Sambucus 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 $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
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.
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.