Tropical Flowering Plants: A touch of the exotic in your own backyard (2024)

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Flowering tropical plants are pure attention grabbers. Colourful, fragrant, lavish; they are absolutely unique in their ability to brighten up a sitting area, balcony or deck, so take the tropical plunge! Fill your decor with these gorgeous plants to bring an exotic touch to your outdoor living environment.

Bougainvillea

Why go to Rio when you can bring the Brazilian party home! Vibrant green foliage sets off lilac, fuchsia, pink, yellow or white flowers just as light as silk paper. Install trellises and you'll have a veritable wall of Bougainvillea, or plant them in hanging baskets for a cascade of intense colour. Sun and heat lovers that they are, they'll appreciate a south-facing view, then get yourself prepared for a months-long display.

Mandevilla

The one-of-a-kind Mandevilla boasts an abundance of big shiny leaves and red, pink, white, or tricolour trumpet-shaped flowers. This tropical vine truly does reach heaven! Plant in a container and grow vertically on a trellis or let it spill gracefully from a hanging basket. Wherever you decide, you'll bask under the abundant blooms throughout the summer. Another sun-lover, so place it where it will get plenty!

Brugmansia

A single Brugmansia plant can produce a dramatic display of a hundred flowers. And what flowers! Huge, pendulous trumpets in romantic shades of yellow, white, pink, soft orange or salmon. No wonder they're called Angel's Trumpets! And with their heavenly fragrance, you're guaranteed hours of sweet day-dreaming the whole summer long.

Cannas

Flamboyant colour, continuous blooms: the key to a truly exotic decor is the elegant, flashy, eye-catching canna. Canas add myriad shades of green and vibrant colours to any context, and whatever the variety, they are brilliant at creating stunning effects. They are easy to grow, wind and insect-resistant. Grow them in pots or in flowerbeds, they are must-haves.

Bay Laurel

Bay Laurels boast an abundance of shiny, dark green, oval leaves and are ideal for adding height to your decor. Highly prized as an ornamental, shrubs are easy to prune, making it possible to create any umber of shapes; the trunk of this decorative plant can either be left long and straight, or trained into braids and spirals. With its fragrant foliage and white, soft pink or orange flowers, it certainly adds Mediterranean flair! A perfect choice for areas exposed to wind.

Hibiscus Sinensis

Aloha! Hibiscus says Hawaii in flower terms, since the yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. With their dramatic, big, colourful trumpet-shaped flowers, they make a statement wherever they go. Blooms appear constantly, but only last a day or two, so you'll have to concentrate to fully appreciate your plants! They do well year-round inside, or placed outside for the summer. From potted plants to shrubs and small trees, single stems or trunks plaited together, all is possible!

Tradewinds and Hollywood Hibiscus

Have you fallen under the spell of the hibiscus sinensis? You'll love the other varieties of this easy-to-grow and versatile plant just as much. The Tradewinds Hibiscus is available in an absolute panoply of colours: pink, red, yellow, orange, pinkish violet. Go all out! You can never have enough of these plants for a real colourful, tropical-inspired decor. Free flowering, the Hollywood variety boasts sunny colours: orange-hued and yellow with a red heart.

Uses:

Tropical Forest

• In a clearly defined area such as a deck, balcony, or sitting area, install as many trellises as possible to create a dense and flowery decor. Combine plant and flower species with varied shapes and colours.
• Add a fountain among your pots of vibrant arrangements, incorporating lively and vivid colours and foliage in various shades of green. You'll feel as though you've been transplanted to a corner of the jungle, and not very far from a waterfall!

Colour Play

• Integrate species with different shades of the same colour tone: opt for white flowering plants for a really fresh look, or match warm shades of red, orange and yellow for a friendly, sunny space.

• Combine complimentary tones for a more dynamic and luxurious decor: pink and orange with violet and white accents, for example, will drop you straight on an island in paradise!

Natural Fragrance

• Gather particularly aromatic plants close to the spa or pool, then close your eyes and you'll feel as though you're on an all-inclusive trip somewhere far away or swimming in the tropics!

• For a warm, welcoming entrance, add aromatic plants to the flowerbeds around your yard or leading up to the entrance of your home, or fill a few planters with fragrant flowers and foliage and set them close to the door.