The tropical look is with biig leaves and lots of hot pink color. See how we decided which plants would be needed to bring this look to the garden.
When we moved into the current house last year, we inherited a pool. We decided to give the garden around the pool a tropical look. The essence of the tropical look comes from large leaved plants and hot colors. The garden already had lots of cannas that came in flower colors of red and yellow as well as those with burgundy leaves, green leaves and variegated leaves. Taking these large leaved plants along with some newly purchased palms soon fill in the space needed. The palms are tall with large knife shaped leaves that contrast with the cannas broad leaves. For added color I have some dark colored elephant ears. Two hardy banana plants finish off the basic design for this garden. For an added touch I will add a few hot pink petunias to sizzle in the heat poolside. Learning what is hardy and how much water these new plants need is going to be a fun lesson.
Getting an idea for what you want an area to look like is only half the battle – knowing how to address the design and get the right plants for that look takes time and experimentation. For this tropical look, we went to the Atlanta Botanical garden and saw ideas of plants that worked together in displays there. We were then able to take those ideas and try them in out own garden. Visiting local gardens is a great way to find plant looks that work for your area. Always go ready with a notebook and camera to help jog your memory you are planning the garden and shopping for plants.
