Tired of waiting endlessly for spring to arrive? Did the last of those nor’easters finally break you? Well, how about indulging in a bit of pure tropical escapism? Today’s pictures, sent in by Mano, come all the way from Matale, Sri Lanka, and show a garden full of lush tropical color and a LOT of palm trees! Interestingly, though many of the plants here are tropical wonders those of us in cold climates can only dream about, there are plenty of plants here that work beautifully as house plants or annuals. With a little planning and proper plant choices, you can have a piece of the tropics even if you live somewhere still covered by snow.
Wouldn’t you love to sit out on this porch, surrounded by lush, tropical growth? It looks like heaven.
Here’s the same porch, from the outside looking in. If you had a glassed-in sunporch, you could re-create this look in a lot of other climates, as long as you chose tropical plants suited to more shaded conditions.
I love the way that variegated pothos (Epipremnum aureum, tropical) has been trained up along the top of the porch to create a long streamer of green. Pothos is a common houseplant, incredibly tolerant of low light and harsh conditions, so you could easily do the same over a sunny (or not-so-sunny) window.
Another view of the porch—what a great jungle of greenery!
Many of the plants that we in cold climates think of as annuals are actual perennials—or even shrubs!—in tropical zones. Here copper leaf (Acalypha wilkesiana) has grown to a massive shrub. But the beautiful, multicolored foliage is just as great if you enjoy it as an annual for the summer, or as a houseplant if you have a lot of light.
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Comments
Hmm, what a delightful display of color the Acalypha wilkesiana provides...each leaf is like a mini mosaic. I'll bet it's even more striking when backlit by the sun.
And, sigh, yes, the view of the outdoor porch framed by graceful palm fronds is the very definition of relaxation.
Beautiful. I wouldn't mind being there right now sitting in the sun or in the shade of the porch.
A tropical paradise that would be hard to reproduce here, but might be fun to try. The copper leaf (Acalypha wilkesiana) is a new one for me - I'm very interested in looking it up to see what might be possible within one growing season - beautiful colors!
Mano, thank you so much for sharing such lushness with us!
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