When traveling to tropical destinations vacationers encounter banana plants, heliconias, plumeria plants and other tropical plants growing in the wild. Some gardeners will tell them that these tropical plants cannot be grown in temperate climates. But gardeners living in temperate climates can create their own tropical garden.

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2.  When it comes to growing tropical plants,
including plumeria plants, some gardeners will tell
you that these plants cannot be grown in
temperate climates. Recently, I have been asked
how tropical plants can be grown in less than
ideal conditions meaning outside their native
subtropical and tropical climates.

3.  Tropical plant lovers can let their imagination run
wild in creating tropical gardens of their own with
all the new plants and information that is available
to them these days. No longer do they have to
listen to all the naysayers telling them it can't be
done. Gardeners can create a tropical garden
with banana plants, heliconias, plumeria plants
and other beautiful exotic tropical plants. Many of
these tropical plants have been developed and
hybridized for this very reason.

4.  In temperate climates gardeners have to grow
their tropical plants in pots and supplement what
is needed to re-create their native conditions. The
tropical plant gardener in temperate climate zones
has to adjust the plants and growing conditions to
fit his or her local garden parameters.

5.  For example, if a gardener wants to include
banana plants in the garden design, instead of
growing banana plants that grow twelve feet or
more, like Musa 'Ice Cream' and Musa 'Monthan',
growing dwarf fruiting banana plants is the
available and correct choice.
 Excellent dwarf fruiting banana plants include
Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish', Musa
acuminata 'Dwarf Lady Finger' and Musa
acuminata 'Super Dwarf Cavendish'. These dwarf
banana plants don't take up much space and can
produce fruits when provided with the correct
growing conditions.

6.  Another excellent alternate choice to grow in
temperate climates are ornamental banana
plants, called Musa ornata. They produce colorful
inflorescences, flower stalks, which carry inedible
banana fruits. Colors of the inflorescences include
red, white, purple and pink. An excellent choice is
Musa velutina, also called Pink Flowering
Banana. The fruit is actually edible if one doesn't
mind the seeds. The bananas peel themselves
back when ripe. Musa velutina starts flowering
and fruiting once it reaches three feet in height.

7.  When traveling to tropical destinations
vacationers encounter heliconias growing in the
wild. Many heliconias grow so tall that they would
not be considered suitable for container growing.

8.  But there are also many smaller heliconias
available that can be grown successfully in pots
outside during the summer months and inside
during the colder months of the year. One group is
Heliconia psittacorum which grows happily in a
pot. Cultivars include Heliconia psittacorum 'Lady
Di', Heliconia psittacorum 'Strawberries and
Cream' and Heliconia psittacorum 'Andromeda'.
Several plants of Heliconia stricta can also be
successfully grown in containers, including
Heliconia stricta 'Firebird', Heliconia stricta
'Sharonii‘ and Heliconia stricta 'Bucky'.

9.  If one's growing space is restricted or limited in
size, Heliconia stricta 'Dwarf Jamaican' is an
excellent choice. This is a true dwarf heliconia not
growing more than two to three feet high. It is a
bushy plant with heavily pleated leaves which
have a thin red stripe down the center. The bracts
look like miniature lobster claws and are
comparatively large in contrast to the size of the
plant. These bracts last a long time.

10.  Plumeria plants are another group of tropical
plants thought to be impossible to grow in
temperate climates. By providing the correct
plumeria care these plants are grown as far north
as Alaska. Plumeria care involves choosing the
correct potting mix, soil additives, fertilizers, and
more. This is true for all tropical plants.

11.  There is a feeling of serenity when one watches
the flowers of plumeria plants which come not
only in many different colors such as white, red,
yellow, pink and rainbow, but also have
unforgettable fragrances which include citrus,
coconut, gardenia, jasmine, peaches, roses and
many more.

12.  Plumeria plants can grow quite tall, but can be
maintained at the desired height with the correct
pruning techniques. In recent years several dwarf
varieties have been introduced, including
Plumeria obtusa 'Dwarf Singapore Pink', Plumeria
rubra 'Divine', and Plumeria rubra 'Mini-White'.
Divine and Mini-White are considered true
miniatures.
 Another dwarf hybrid is Plumeria obtusa 'Dwarf
Deciduous' which produces large white flowers
with a strong citrus fragrance.

13.  Plumeria plants over the last fifteen to twenty
years have gained more and more gardeners'
attention worldwide. More and more international
gardeners who have experienced plumerias first
hand through their travels or have discovered
them on the internet are including them in their
tropical garden designs. Plumerias are also
known and called 'Frangipani‘.

14.  These are just a few examples of tropical plants
which can be grown successfully with proper care
in temperate climates. Other plants that gardeners
can include in their newly designed gardens are
Adeniums, Gingers, Calatheas, Caladiums
tropical Rhododendrons, to name a few.

15.  If you have fallen in love with tropical plants and
want to create your exotic tropical garden oasis in
the temperate zone where you reside, go ahead
and give it a go. New discoveries and gardening
methods have opened the door for new
possibilities to grow the garden closest to your
heart's desire.

16.  If tropical plants are at the center of your
gardening dreams, find a good current tropical
plant care guide and read up on new methods
that are out there and available.
 Copyright © Bob Walsh
www.HowToGrowPlumeriaFrangipani.com