Hot Weather Tropicals

It is steamy outside.  Mother Nature has decided that the days of cool breezes and dewy mornings should be replaced with the blazing sun and a persistent humidity that seems to leave everyone in its wake with a slippery film on their skin that is similar to that of a seal.    The plants are no longer standing at attention but rather drooping their heads as if to get that unrelenting glare out of their eyes.  A friend recently described the hot, damp days of summer here in comparison to living inside of Mother Nature’s mouth, yuck, but decidedly an accurate depiction.  So, if it is going to feel like the tropics outside, but without the luxury of an ocean breeze, than maybe it should look like the tropics as well.  As many of our landscape plants are gasping for air and looking rather pathetic why not bring in some tropical flora to perk up the garden and actually thrive in these oppressive dog days. 

My favorite plants are generally tropical ones.  I adore creating floral arrangements with a few simple prehistoric-looking leaves from the Monstera plant or the Elephant Ear bulb.  My grandmother and I once brought home some Red Ginger plants from a vacation in Hawaii.  Sadly my plant died but her Red Ginger is big and beautiful.  The flare of a giant canna bloom with its monstrous maroon leaves or the pop of the chartreuse-colored leaves from a Sweet Potato Vine plant truly add an abundant amount of interest and a splash of the unusual to any Kansas garden.   The juxtaposition of a banana plant next to Black-eyed Susan next to a Conifer is unexpected which is generally what makes incorporating tropicals into the garden so whimsical and intriguing. These tropical beauties need not be only enjoyed while on holiday or by those lucky few that actually get to live in paradise, they can and should be integrated into our Kansas landscape and savored every summer.

Donna Gardner, Greenhouse Manager at Sunrise Garden Center, has kept a tropical garden, which frames her home in Baldwin for many years now.  She says, “Every year I have something different.  I had a banana plant last year and that did very well, one year I had a Bird of Paradise which was the focal point and that was fantastic too.  Actually, I have never had any tropical not thrive in this space.”  Gardner’s tropical bed is even situated on the north side of her house and it still does not seem to deter the prolific show of gorgeous blooms and unique showstoppers each year.  Gardner uses fertilizer sticks to keep her lush plants fat and claims that the only pests that seem to bother them is the occasional grasshopper.

Elephant Ears and Caladiums are favorite choices for Ann Peuser, Owner of Clinton Parkway Nursery.  Peuser encourages her patrons to at least try a new annual every year, she states, “Try it and if it works, super, and if it doesn’t than try again next year in another location.  Do not give up easily on experimenting with new plants because you might miss a boat that you wish you were on.” 

Many tropicals have begun to seep into our Kansas landscaping vernacular as if they were as commonly found as say, geraniums.   Ann Peuser says, “Oftentimes people will see a plant at a nursery or a friend’s house and it will just begin to take off in popularity like the Sweet Potato Vine has done.”  She goes on to say, “Tropical plants are a growing interest, before people thought they could only keep them as a house plant but now they are experimenting.  With the advent of container gardening folks are really beginning to branch out with more tropical choices.”

“Caladiums, Amaryllis and Calla Lilies are great plants,” states Gardner, “You can leave the bulbs in the pot and they will shoot off a multitude of babies, they are actually best if undisturbed.  Simply clip off the growth, leave them in the pot and don’t water them.  Set them in a place like the closet and they will be ready to go for next season and that is all that it take to over-winter those.”

Gardner’s favorite tropical plant is the Silver Dollar Fern that has black stems and is related to the Maiden Hair.  The only drawback to her favorite choice is that it is fairly high maintenance even in the winter they need to be watered almost daily.  Luckily, most tropical bulbs require much less maintenance, her advice for over-wintering them is, “Dig them up and cut off the foliage, wash the bulb and set it out to dry.  I use hamster bedding in a paper bag with some holes for ventilation to surround the bulb then place the bag in a cool, dry place.”

With the ease of growing a tropical plant and the unique beauty they bring to the garden plus the fact that they can tolerate the steamiest of days that Kansas has to offer, there is really no reason not to attempt to grow one or two of the following plants and make yourself feel like you are not in Kansas anymore.

• Aloe:  A succulent that is 95% water therefore it needs very little watering.  It relieves pain caused by burns and insect stings.  The Aloe likes direct sunlight, ranges anywhere from 6 inches to 18 feet with over 300 species.  It is quite susceptible to frost so it should over-winter indoors as a houseplant.
• Anthurium:   With its waxy heart-shaped flowers and stiff spadix or “tail” the anthurium is one of your more unusual looking plants.  Its blooms are generally red, pink, green, lilac or white.  It enjoys full sun and needs a good amount of humidity.  They make a fantastic cut flower and should over-winter as a houseplant.
• Bamboo:  A bamboo will spread so it is best to keep it contained when you plant it in the ground.  A great perennial that will hold interest all year with its unique texture and sound effects.  Bamboo makes a wonderful screen for privacy and grows quite quickly they range from 12 inches to 75 feet in height.  There is a huge assortment of varieties that come in green, black and yellow canes.
• Banana Plant:  A houseplant that can be tucked into the garden landscape in the summer.  A banana plant may grow up to 25 feet tall.  After the plant flowers and fruits the top portion dies and another plant sprouts from the same root.  At that point you can store a banana plant’s rootball in shredded newspaper than wrapped in a plastic bag and stored in the garage or basement.  Next year plant it in a sunny spot and watch it grow.
• Bird of Paradise:  A member of the banana family the Bird of Paradise loves the sun.  The flowers are commonly orange with red and purple, however there are also white and purple blooms.  It responds well to pruning with wonderful, large, waxy leaves that are on long stalks.  Bring the plant indoors to winter.
• Bougainvillea:  An evergreen vine this plant is happy spreading up, down, or horizontally.  It is thorny, likes full sun, should be watered lightly and comes in a rainbow of colors.  It will over-winter as a houseplant in a southern window and it makes an excellent bonsai plant.
• Bromeliads:  In the wild these plants can often be seen growing off of rocks and tree trunks.  They like lots of light and a well-ventilated place.  They have leathery, thick leaves which produce a bloom in the center that can last for months.  They are related to the pineapple family with over 1,400 species that come in every imaginable color.
• Caladiums:  The hotter the temperature is the faster the Caladium will grow.  They are bulbs that should be dug up and stored in peat moss in a closet before the first frost hits.  The Caladiums beauty is in its variegated leaves that are shades of white, pink, red and green.
• Canna:  A tender perennial with architectural foliage and brash flowers in a dizzying array of colors for their blooms and leaves.  The canna adds great shape and color to any garden and is a copious drinker in the summer.  Store the bulbs in a soil less compost in a paper bag for the winter, re-plant and enjoy for many years.
• Coleus:  An annual plant with fantastic colorful foliage.  Snip off the shoots as the plant grows to ensure a bushier look.  The sun-coleus varieties were recently cultivated but they most often prefer shade plus their colors tend to “pop” in the shade.   They have gained in popularity in the United State and Japan over the last decade and recently the re-introduction of the Kong series hit nurseries, which is a larger Coleus.
• Crocosmia:  A plant that boasts golden orange and brilliant red tube shaped flowers that branch out in typical freesia-like flower spikes.  The crocosmia is an excellent flower to use in arrangements and its sword-shaped leaves are as interesting as the blooms.  Plant the seeds in a pot and be patient because they generally take two seasons before they produce blooms.
• Croton:  This plant prefers bright light to maintain their fiery leaf colors.  The tough, leaves that are orange, red, yellow and maroon are a showstopper.  This is a houseplant that can easily be tucked into the landscape over the summer months and then brought inside to winter.
• Elephant Ear:  Is a tuberous bulb that is the size of a softball.  They grow to be 3 to 5 feet tall with leaves that are about a 1 ½ feet wide.  A very showy plant that is easy to grow, they are different and look wonderful in flower arrangements.  Simply dig up the bulb, cut off the foliage, let the bulb dry and store for the winter in a dry place and then re-plant next season.
• Hibiscus:  This tropical comes in a rainbow of colors for their saucer-sized blooms that will produce prolifically all summer long.  They are easy to grow and can be brought indoors as a houseplant for the winter.  There are also bush and tree varieties that are hardy perennials that will over-winter in the ground.
• Monstera:  A marvelous split-leafed Philodendron with large, glossy leaves that have oblong holes.  The Monstera likes filtered sun and to be kept dust free.  This is an easy houseplant and the leaves are gorgeous in flower arrangements.  The Monstera would be a fabulous addition tucked into any landscape for the summer.
• Palm:  The palm comes in many varieties and is one of the simplest houseplants to grow.  They prefer filtered water to tap water and should be brought in from the outdoors before the first frost.
• Protea:  A large ornamental shrub that touts hard, leathery leaves with giant fuzzy-skinned flowers that are shaped like a football the protea is a unique plant.  It likes full sun and good air movement and is surprisingly fairly frost tolerant.  It should be brought in as a houseplant for the winter.
• Red Ginger:  This plant grows quite slowly and produces no blooms for the first 3 years but then it quickly takes off to grow 6 to 7 feet high with large, football sized blooms that range from light pinks to deep reds.  Red Ginger must be kept warm, shaded and sheltered when outside.  Bring it indoors as a houseplant to over-winter.
• Sandersonia:  A unique plant with lantern-shaped flower in orange and yellow that hang from wiry stems.  The Sandersonia is a tuber plant that should be stored at around 63 degrees in a dry place over winter.  They need to be staked as they grow and are breath-taking in floral arrangements.
• Sweet Potato Vine:  This plant comes in  deep purple and chartreuse colors, it is an annual that likes full sun and performs well in baskets, pots and as a ground cover. 
• Ti Plant:  Red, pink and green leaves are what make the Ti plant so spectacular.  This houseplant needs minimal amounts of water and a leaf can be snipped off, placed into soil and grow.  In Hawaii the Ti plant is considered to bring luck.  Tuck this into the garden and bring it inside to over-winter.
• Wax Begonia:  They prefer partial shade and come in white, pink, red and bi-colors.  The Wax Begonia is a reliable bloomer with non-stop flowering.  The bronze-leafed variety tolerates the heat and sun best.