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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Sauromatum giganteum
Item #: 2536
Zones: 6b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Manchuria region China, Tibet
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sauromatum horsfieldii 'Lancelot'
Item #: 15679
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Laos
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sauromatum venosum
Item #: 1315
Zones: 6a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: India
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSauromatum venosum 'Lake Tana'
Item #: 16742
Zones: 6a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Ethiopia
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Saururus cernuus 'Hertford Streaker'
Item #: 4917
Zones: 5a to 8b, guessing
Dormancy:
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Canada, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Scadoxus multiflorus ssp. multiflorus
Item #: 9021
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Botswana, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Selaginella bigelovii 'Isabella'
Item #: 17691
Zones: 7b to 9b, possibly much colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Selaginella tortipila 'Southern Twist'
Item #: 18401
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 2" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Silphium terebinthinaceum 'Bain Relief'
Item #: 17656
Zones: 3a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sinningia 'Arkansas Bells'
Item #: 9334
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSinningia 'Bananas Foster'
Item #: 8527
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sinningia 'Carolyn'
Item #: 8831
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSinningia 'Cherries Jubilee'
Item #: 12825
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sinningia 'Pink Pockets'
Item #: 8470
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sinningia tubiflora
Item #: 4688
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Specialocasia vietnamensis 'Phat Chance'
Item #: 8455
Zones: 8b to 11
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: North Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Spiranthes cernua 'Tightlips'
Item #: 16987
Zones: 6a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outSprekelia formosissima
Item #: 5279
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $19.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Synandrospadix vermitoxicus 'Salta and Peppa'
Item #: 12194
Zones: 8a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 22" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Argentina
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Taccarum caudatum 'Eruption'
Item #: 13604
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Bolivia, Brazil, Peru
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Tamarix ramosissima 'Pink Cascade'
Item #: 8757
Zones: 3a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 144" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Asia, Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Tecomaria capensis
Item #: 9341
Zones: 7b to 11
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" 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 -
Sold outTetrapanax papyrifer
Item #: 4676
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 80" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Tibouchina urvilleana 'Variegata'
Item #: 6326
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South America
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.