If you have ever been to the Hawaiian Islands, Caribbean, S.E. Asia, South America or South Pacific, you can remember how you felt, the beauty, the tropical sunshine and rain and cool tropical breezes, but most of all the beauty of the tropical plants and foliage, the intense tropical colors, the tropical fragrances and unique and unusual shapes. Ah! how you yearn for that beautiful feeling again right? Oh I wish I lived here! But as life has it for most of us we just can’t. Well lets bring the tropics home, “To Our Home” where we live and work daily where we have our friends and family around us. Just because we can’t be on permanent vacation does not mean we can’t have our own tropical garden oasis on our own personal setting.
We can grow many exotic tropical plants or semi tropical plants whether we live in the tropics, semi tropics or even a temperate to cool winter climates, we can make it work with a little know how. By choosing tropical plants, tropical shrubs, tropical trees and tropical vines that are suited to your area you can create a breathtaking, beautiful, fragrant outdoor garden or indoor tropical oasis in containers. In cooler winter climates tropicals can be grown as container plants, they are easily moveable to place where you will get the most dramatic tropical look or in the garden landscape where they can be dug up lifted when cooler temperatures set in, which then should be over wintered indoors, greenhouse or any place that will keep them from cold temperatures. Normally temps lower that 32 F plants need protection, but you would be surprised how some can withstand even lower. In many parts of the Country many tropical gardeners dig a large enough hole to accommodate the container and plant, bury it garden level making it look like part of the tropical landscape, when temperatures finally get too cold, simply lift entire container ( you may have to trim roots that grew out of container holes) and store indoors or protected areas where they will not freeze. Some tropical plants can be grown from rhizome, corm and bulbs which can be lifted and stored for winter and replanted in spring when weather permits without missing a beat.
When starting younger starter tropical plants use a well draining, acidic, rich , loamy composted media that retains moisture as well as keeps it from becoming soggy and wet. Its always best to use half strength fertilizer until the tropical plant looks like it can hold it’s own. Growing near your home, building or large objects it will keep your tropical plants warmer at night as the building releases stored heat in the evening like solar.
We at Aloha Tropicals have been supplying tropical plants, tropical trees, tropical shrubs, tropical vines and tropical fruit trees to many many home gardening customers and including botanical gardens, zoo’s and colleges since 1993.
We have compiled a huge selection of tropical plants to satisfy the new tropical gardener to the serious collector.
We never stop searching for new and exciting tropical plants, Its a big world out there and we love what we do to bring them to you.
Happy Tropical Gardening to you always!
Aloha!