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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Bouvardia ternifolia 'Scarlet Hummer'
Item #: 4943
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mexico, United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/07/2024Sold out -
Brugmansia 'Betty Marshall'
Item #: 8581
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 120" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Brugmansia x candida 'Double White'
Item #: 5157
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Ecuador
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi'
Item #: 5158
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Brugmansia 'Cherub'
Item #: 8163
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $34.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Brugmansia 'Snowbank'
Item #: 5088
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $34.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Brugmansia 'Sunset'
Item #: 4199
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Calanthe discolor
Item #: 2617
Zones: 6b to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $60.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Calanthe 'Kozu Spice'
Item #: 650
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $65.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Calanthe sieboldii
Item #: 1861
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $72.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Calanthe 'Takane'
Item #: 2330
Zones: 7a to 9a
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Hybrid, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $65.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Calycanthus 'Aphrodite' PP 24,014
Item #: 17466
Zones: 6a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 96" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna flaccida
Item #: 9581
Zones: 8a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Alan's Striped Thai'
Item #: 18033
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/07/2024Sold outThis plant is available for JLBG Members only.
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Canna x generalis 'Australia'
Item #: 2707
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 $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'B. Marley' PP 23,977
Item #: 13174
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Canna x generalis 'Bengal Tiger'
Item #: 819
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Canna x generalis 'Blueberry Sparkler'
Item #: 5200
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Cleopatra'
Item #: 2399
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 $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Ermine'
Item #: 2459
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Intrigue'
Item #: 4743
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Lemon Punch'
Item #: 5201
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Orange Punch'
Item #: 4680
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.9 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Canna x generalis 'Pacific Beauty'
Item #: 3867
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 72" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.8 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular 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.