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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Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata'
Item #: 2104
Zones: 7a 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 $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Yucca linearifolia
Item #: 7190
Zones: 7a to 10b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Mexico, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Yucca recurva 'Mellow Yellow'
Item #: 8294
Zones: 6b to 10b
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 $29.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Sold outYucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies'
Item #: 6697
Zones: 5b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Mexico, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Yucca 'Silver Anniversary' PP 31,437
Item #: 12621
Zones: 5b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
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 $27.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Yucca smalliana 'Bright Edge'
Item #: 822
Zones: 5a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outYucca torreyi 'Chaves'
Item #: 16041
Zones: 5a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 180" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Yucca 'Tromping Around'
Item #: 12995
Zones: 7a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zantedeschia aethiopica 'African Gold'
Item #: 13443
Zones: 8b to 10b, guessing
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South Africa
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $36.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Swartberg Giant'
Item #: 9192
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 54" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South Africa
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zantedeschia aethiopica 'White Giant'
Item #: 3695
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South Africa
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zantedeschia 'Picasso'
Item #: 8324
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zantedeschia 'Purple Spirit' PP 29,648
Item #: 18235
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outZantedeschia 'Red Charm'
Item #: 18234
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outZingiber mioga
Item #: 2725
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zingiber mioga 'Crug's Zing'
Item #: 12222
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outZingiber mioga 'Dancing Crane'
Item #: 3809
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zingiber mioga 'Hot Lips'
Item #: 17929
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zingiber mioga 'Lushan Gold'
Item #: 16850
Zones: 6a to 9b, guessing
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outZingiber mioga 'Silver Arrow'
Item #: 7626
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Zingiber mioga 'White Feather'
Item #: 7501
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
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.