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Tropical garden
Tropical garden
Tropical Garden Design Style
There’s a great sense of comfort to wake up in a tropical paradise surrounded by the lushness of greens and vibrant foliage. It’s like having a grand vacation but in the convenience of your own backyard! If the relaxing vibe of a tropical resort is what you’re aiming for in your outdoor space, the tropical garden design is for you.
Characterised by lavish greenery of tropical plants, colourful flowers, and even water features, a tropical garden is a design that takes inspiration from the captivating beauty of tropical regions around the world, such as the rainforests of Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Read on for more ideas to help you get started on designing this kind of garden, which merges multiple cultures and traditions into one enchanting garden design. While the goal is to develop a design that showcases the natural appeal of tropical landscapes, better planning is also vital to ensure that it’s well-suited to its local environment.
Key Takeaways
Tropical gardens are distinguished by rich and exuberant foliage, a solid density of planting (more leaves than flowers) that’s reminiscent of rainforests. Exotic blooms and water features also exude a tropical vibe.
For an authentic tropical paradise, a tropical garden style ideally consists of flamboyant foliage, water elements, natural materials, and shaded areas in order to achieve a resort-like atmosphere.
The plentiful greenery and relaxing sounds of water features offer tranquillity to soothe the mind and reduce stress. The vastness of foliage in tropical gardens also supports an assortment of plant species and improves the quality of air, fostering improved health.
You will find the following essential elements in a tropical garden style: dense plantings to create a jungle-like ambiance, water features like ponds and streams, natural materials such as stones and woods, and a comfortable shaded area like a gazebo.
A tropical garden design uses flamboyant plants to easily capture attention. Palms and bamboo, for example, help create a tropical atmosphere with their fern-like shapes. Large plants like monstera are also a great addition, and so are landscaping plants such as Heliconia Tropics.
Understanding and defining tropical garden aesthetic
Transforming your outdoor space with a tropical garden design entails incorporating lush greenery, bright flowers, and the relaxing sounds and sight of water features.
The result is a stunning garden that easily reminds you of a tropical paradise. Wherever you are in Australia, you can create your own tropical oasis right in your backyard with better planning and preparedness.
Key principles of tropical gardens:
- Lush greenery: A tropical garden is characterised by its jungle-like atmosphere, hence leafy, colourful foliage, vibrant flowers, and use of plants with broad leaves.
- Water features: Water components like ponds, waterfalls, and streams enhance the tropical feel and experience.
- Natural materials: Materials like green walls, stone, wood, bamboo, and Balinese furniture create an organic look.
- Shade and shelter: Depending on the allotted budget, shaded areas like pergolas serve as shelter and create cosy spots for resting, while canopy plants make for cool, dark jungle-like walkways and rooms.
Why tropical gardens are perfect for any settings
This garden design beautifully blends cultures and traditions, which is why the end product becomes a spectacle of rich foliage and colours consisting of broad-leaved plants, vibrant flowers, and the soothing sound of water. Just imagining all these elements make it sound like a serene retreat already!
Many tropical plants flourish in subtropical climates, although it’s worth noting that the tropical garden design is no longer exclusive to Australia’s tropical and subtropical regions. Fortunately, there’s been an increasing trend in the last few years around tropical garden plants thriving in cooler and temperate climates.
Benefits of tropical gardens design:
- Creates a tropical, serene environment
- Supports a great assortment of plant species
- Invigorates your outdoor space with lush greenery
- Promotes relaxation and reduces stress
- Improves air atmosphere and quality
Essential elements of a tropical garden
Some elements are essential if you’re looking to design a tropical haven that feels serene and authentic. Here are important factors to consider:
Lush greens and vibrant flowers
Tropical gardens are characterised by their abundant lush and leafy foliage, which can include broad-leafed plants, palms, ferns, and vines to create an atmosphere that resembles that of a serene jungle. Plus, use bright flowers such as hibiscus, bird of paradise, canna lilies, frangipani, and orchids for a more exciting and vibrant feel in the garden.
Water elements
Water features like ponds, waterfalls, and streams can easily give a soothing, tropical-like sensory experience.
Natural materials
Natural materials like stone, wood, and bamboo blend complement the garden’s lush foliage.
Relaxing shade
If budget allows, shaded areas like pergolas or gazebos can transform your garden into a perfect one. The shaded structures serve as shelter from the sun and deliver cosy spots for resting and contemplating.
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Selecting the right tropical garden plants
The success of creating a tropical garden is heavily reliant on your selection of plants. With so many options available, it can be hard to decide, so keep in mind that your choices must coincide with the design you’re trying to accomplish. For a tropical garden, plants that can give you a relaxing tropical atmosphere are excellent options, especially if they are low-maintenance ones.
Bold, vibrant flowers define tropical gardens
Hibiscus: Hibiscus are staples in tropical gardens for delivering vibrant colours and eye-catching flowers.
Birds of Paradise: Birds of Paradise are striking, bird-like flowers offering stand-out foliage.
Adding more colours but retaining simplicity
Bromeliads: Bromeliads provide more colours to enhance your garden’s aesthetics and since they’re epiphytic, they can grow on trees or in the ground.
Orchids: Orchids, on the other hand, enhance your garden’s tropical beauty with their exquisite flowers.
Ground cover plants for a tropical finish
Cordyline Rubra: Add ground covers like Cordyline Rubra for its stunning burgundy-red foliage.
Ferns: They add lush, green foliage to your garden and require less attention once established.
Spruce up your tropical garden with evergreens
Palms: Evergreen plants like areca palms and kentia palms provide a sturdy structure in your garden. They represent tropical environments and don’t need much maintenance.
Heliconias: These low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants are an integral part of any tropical garden design, adding consistent colour and structure to your outdoor space.
With a carefully planned tropical garden you can turn your dream of a tropical oasis into reality. Imagine waking up to the sight of lush foliage and colours right in your own backyard; if you like how that makes you feel, you’ll be delighted to know that there are more options available now to help you get started in transforming your outdoor space into a tropical-like escape.
You can also use our garden style plant calculator to figure out which plants suit your garden best based on its area size and layout.