As we all know, living in Florida has its perks. From the great weather to the ocean breeze, there are many reasons to love living in the sunshine state. From a gardener’s perspective, it’s even more obvious why Southern Florida is unbeatable: the unparalleled glory of a lush tropical garden. Tropical plants are incredibly easy to care for in Southern Florida’s warm, humid climate, and bring a little slice of the tropics straight to your Fort Lauderdale garden!
If you’re looking to make the most of South Florida’s incredible climate, we’ve created a resource of some of our very favorite tropical garden ideas, all easily accessible through Living Color Garden Center. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s start transforming your backyard into the tropical paradise of your dreams!
Texture in your Floridian Tropical Garden
Texture is one of the most important design elements to tap into when you’re transforming your backyard into a tropical wonderland. When we think of tropical plants, we think of large leaves, shininess, crisscrossing lines, and pops of brilliant color. Imagine a forest of palm trees with dense climbing vines and a rich understory of florals, ferns, and large-leafed plants. You can replicate that very image right here in your own Southern Florida backyard!
Starting at the ground level, we recommend lush, large-leafed plant varieties. Alocasia is one of our favorite tropical outdoor plants, as their smooth texture creates a perfect base for your garden to build off. Once you’ve got your large-leafed plants sorted, incorporate some smaller-leafed vines or shrubs to fill in any spaces and create that lush, overgrown tropical look. Finally, to really bring home the textures of a tropical forest, don’t forget to add in some Queen palms (our personal favorites) and bromeliads.
Tropical Garden Color Ideas
The tropics are as rich in color as they are in texture. While glossy-green hues immediately come to mind, a tropical landscape doesn’t pack a real punch unless there are some brightly-colored flowers and foliage incorporated!
As you work on your tropical garden’s color palette, start with a solid base of rich and varied shades of green. From there, you can start folding in pops of color. Vining plants, bromeliads, crotons, and ti plants are all great year-round plant options for your tropical garden that add tons of extra color and life! When choosing specific colors, the brighter, the better. This is your time to play with brilliant hues of pink, purple, orange, and yellow. No need for color theory or themes: the wilder your tropical garden looks, the more authentic it will be.
A Sensory Tropical Garden
Now that we’ve covered all the different ways to make your tropical garden beautiful, let’s add some other sensory elements!
One of the best features of tropical plants is the fact that many of them produce delicious fruit! From passionfruit vines to banana trees, you can create your very own breathtaking food forest right here in Fort Lauderdale. In addition to fruit, you can also grow beneficial herbs and spices like ginger and turmeric, which have the substantial bonus of absolutely breathtaking leaves and flowers! You’ll be making the recipes of your dreams, all while enjoying the lush tropical garden growing just outside your window.
It may seem like a lot, but coming up with tropical garden ideas is easy when you draw inspiration from nature and source your plants from Living Color Garden Center. For all of your Fort Lauderdale tropical gardening needs, we’ve got you covered!