A Puerto Rican Gardener's Tropical Plant Palette for New Jersey: Bananas, Elephant Ears, Palms, Gingers, and More

Five Keys to Northern Tropical Gardening

Sun, heat, rich soil, water, warm microclimate. Plant thickly; avoid mixing temperate flowers.

Bananas: Musa basjoo (hardy), Musa zebrina (ornamental).
Elephant Ears: Alocasia, Colocasia, Xanthosoma (hybrids in maroon, lime, green).
Palms: Needle palm (hardy), Windmill palm (Trachycarpus) with winter wrap.
Gingers: Hedychium (hardy, fragrant flowers).
Cannas: New hybrids, plant in groups.
Glory Bush (Tibouchina): Purple blooms, treat as annual or overwinter indoors.
Oleander: Fragrant clusters, toxic if eaten.
Brugmansia: Huge fragrant bells, root cuttings in fall.
Fillers: Lantana, Helichrysum, Coleus, Wandering Jew, Spider Plant, Philodendron, Croton (bury pot, bring in fall).

Books: The Exotic Garden, Hot Plants for Cool Climates. Mailorder: Plant Delights, Brent & Becky's Bulbs, eBay.

Tropical Plants: Tropical Corner Garden Design for Houston's Intense Heat; Carnivorous Plant Recommendations for a Bingen, Washington Garden; Poisonous Tropical Plants List: US Army Field Manual; Tropical Plants for New Jersey Gardens: Container Culture for Zone 6; Creating Your Own Tropical Paradise: A Guide to Growing Tropical Plants at Home; Container Gardening Masterclass: Pot Selection, Drainage, Soil, and Repotting for Healthy Plants; How to Grow Basil from Seed: Complete Garden Bed Guide; Tropical Flowering Plants for Vibrant Gardens; How to Grow an Organic Garden: From Soil Building to Harvest; Growing Tropical Houseplants: Palms, Bird of Paradise & Philodendron

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