Tropical Flower Garden
Tropical flower gardens add an exotic and relaxing atmosphere to many homes and yards. Many tropical flowers require more maintenance and care than native plants because ideal growth conditions must be created within an imperfect environment. Tropical gardens also involve careful planning and plant selection to ensure proper growth and hardiness for the plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types and Designs
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There are two main types of tropical flower gardens: indoor and outdoor. Indoor tropical flower gardens can be confined to one room or span multiple rooms. Designs for indoor tropical flower gardens, include arranging flowers by geographic location, color, type or a mixture of designs. Depending on the amount of space, the garden can have an overarching theme throughout or be divided by room or theme. Outdoor tropical flower gardens can be similarly designed but might require more defined borders since a yard doesn't always have divided spaces.
Care
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Caring for tropical flowers takes more effort than caring for native plants since many times environmental conditions outside the tropics are not ideal for tropical flowers. Pests that are also not native to tropic regions might cause problems for tropical flowers. Plants need to be protected during winter because they will not survive temperature changes. This can be done by bringing plants inside or covering them with a special cloth if winter conditions are relatively temperate.
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Features
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One popular feature in a tropical flower garden is a pond or small stream. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the pond or stream functions as a humidifier for the surrounding flowers. Gazebos, bridges and driftwood are also popular additions to a tropical flower garden. For a truly authentic tropical flower garden, many people add a sand pathway and additional foliage, like palm trees.
Flower Selection
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Tropical flowers are often selected for their color, sparse or uncommonly spaced foliage, rarity or fragrance. Tropical flowers often share the characteristic of bright colors and unusually shaped leaves. Popular choices for outdoor use include hibiscuses, Ixoras, cannas, angel trumpets, birds of paradise, butterfly gingers, plumerias, Cymbidium orchids, lilies and passion flowers. Indoor varieties include Anthuriums, Phaleonopsis orchids, Dendrobium orchids and bromiliads. Native flowers may also be mixed with tropical flowers but should fit with the overall theme of the garden and be brightly colored.
Environmental Considerations
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Tropical flowers require plenty of water, typical to their natural habitat. Dry weather conditions require frequent and large amounts of watering. Dry conditions need to be supplemented with humidity. Some tropical flowers require little to no sunlight or indirect sunlight since they come from native areas with forest cover, while others require full sun. Tropical flower gardens require a loose soil that has good drainage.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit tropical flowers image by Gary from Fotolia.com
