Design a tropical paradise

Imagine sunbathing on a timber deck or cooling off in a swimming pool surrounded by giant blossoms and lush green foliage as chattering birds and colourful butterflies cheer you on. Imagine the sound of splashing water cascading lazily into a nearby pond as you sip on a cold drink or read an interesting book.

Such is the opulence of a tropical garden. They reel with natural abundance. In fact, the idea behind designing one is to create a miniature tropical rain forest. Here are some tips to get you started.

Plants

Success with a tropical garden almost wholly depends on selecting and growing the right plants. Tropical plants ideally require lots of sun and water and do well in healthy soils with lots of mulch and nutrients.

Think bird-of-paradise, travellers’ palms, ornamental bananas, citrus trees, ferns and orchids. The list of plants that you can choose from is literally endless.

Some tropical plants can also grow in colder and drier climates albeit with more effort to provide enough water and food. Canna lilies, crotons, hibiscus and many palm varieties are some of the notable candidates.

Climbers such as the Algerian ivy and passion fruits also reinforce that wild and rugged tropical look and feel.

Whatever plants you settle on, it is important to try and figure out how large each one will eventually get and space them appropriately.

Knowing the mature sizes will also help you to locate plants correctly by keeping a hierarchy from the ground covers in the foreground to the mid-sized shrubs in the middle-ground and eventually the larger shrubs and trees at the back.

Such hierarchy is important in ensuring each plant consistently gets enough sunlight.

Wildlife

Another distinct quality of a tropical garden is the abundance of life. You can attract birds, bees and butterflies by growing some nectar-rich blooms such as sunflowers and including a few feeders at strategic points.

But few strategies can beat having a beautiful water feature in the middle of your tropical haven.

Besides creating an unbelievable tropical ambience, a good water feature will unlock water’s life giving quality and enable ornamental fish and aquatic plants to thrive in you tropical garden.

Furniture and Accessories

When you have set up your tropical paradise, you need a place you can sit back and take it all in. A well-furnished deck or gazebo will go a long way.

Go for something natural that will enhance your tropical theme and locate it as close as possible to the action. But remember that the hot and wet conditions of your tropical garden are likely to eat away your furniture a lot faster hence durability and regular maintenance are important considerations.

Select the right accessories that will accent your tropical garden. Choose items that add a calm, peaceful look and feel as opposed to loud and striking features.

Think timber, clay and natural stone pots and planters. Consider having lighting fixtures that mimic traditional lanterns and carefully selected statues of wild animals and reptiles to add a creepy twist.

Photo: www.snuut.com

 -The writer is a landscape architect