5 Essential Tips to Create a Cold Hardy Tropical Garden

Well essential in my opinion 😉 I got many questions ” How to start a (cold hardy) tropical garden?
Here are 5 things to begin with:

00:00 1 Raised borders, Good drainage soil and Mulching

One of the most important thing when starting a cold hardy tropical garden is drainage! Many hardy exotic plants and bulbs hate “wet feet” during winter, the roots will rot and during the growing season the plant will die. Creating a raised bed garden is a good way to ensure you have well-draining soil. The water goes through the roots and the soil doesn’t get waterlogged.

You can also mix grit and small rocks through the soil to get even better drainage, especially in clay soil.

02:22 2 Microclimates, South-facing walls and Windbreakers

Windbreakers such as fences or evergreen high shrubs and trees will keep cold winds out of the garden. Your garden can have its own microclimate that can be slightly milder. In your garden there are also areas that can have a microclimate, near the house, or a wall for example. In these areas it’s interesting to plant the more tender plants.

04:24 3 Pathways

A natural looking and curvy pathway with plants on both sides can give a tropical effect. Grasses, ferns and other plants hanging over the path enhances this effect.

05:26 4 Foliage and Texture Plants

Plants some large foliage plants. They draw the eye and combined with fine textured plants it creates dimension and depth in you garden. There are many hardy exotic foliage plants to be find, below is a list of very useful winter hardy eyecatchers:

– Astilboides tabularis
– Colocasia ‘Pink China’
– Darmera peltata
– Fatsia
– Gunnera
– Manihot grahamii
– Musa basjoo
– Rodgersia
– Sauromatum
– Tetrapanax
– Trachycarpus

Also check this video for inspiration: https://youtu.be/_47nY6KeWGE

06:41 5 Pond or Water feature

A garden pond adds beauty, elegance, and lively interest to a garden. Plants some grasses and ferns at the edges to create a natural look. If the garden space is limited you can also choose a small fountain or a waterbowl. The effect is the same.

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