Tropical Plants

at Goffle Brook Farms

Tropical plants are plants that originated from the tropical regions of the world and are known for their bold textures, vivid colors and rich scents. These plants are the perfect way to add a tropical flair to your gardens and patios. Tropical landscapes are known for their wide mix of leaf and flower diversity. You can achieve a similar look by adding these plants that display a variety of leaf forms and flowers. Just remember to bring them inside at the end of summer to winter them over. Our Garden Center is fully stocked and you can find everything from unique foliages and blooming tropicals such as Hibiscus, Mandevillas or Bougainvillea, to Dipladenia and more.

Bougainvillea

Bougainvilleas are flowering machines. You can’t beat them for an explosion of color. Depending on the variety, it can be grown on a trellis or over an arbor, against a building or fence, in containers, as a hedge or ground cover, in tree form, and as a bonsai. Bougainvillea can grow anywhere from 1′ to 8′ to 30′, depending on the species or variety. Bougainvillea needs at least 6 hours of full sun a day to flower profusely and look its best. This plant loves the heat too. No enough sun = not enough color. When it comes to watering, bougainvillea is pretty drought tolerant once established. It prefers a good, deep watering every 3-4 weeks rather than frequent shallow watering. When establishing, be sure to give yours regular water.The colors you can find bougainvilleas in are: white to yellow to gold to pink to magenta to reddish purple. Some have 2-toned colors and variegated foliage too.

Dipladenia

This tropical vine is a surefire favorite for providing lots of summer color: It shows off a steady supply of bright red, pink, or white trumpet-shaped flowers all summer and into autumn. Because it blooms so profusely, dipladenia is an excellent plant for adding color to sunny decks, patios, balconies, and other outdoor spaces. Dipladenia looks beautiful on a trellis, fence, or mailbox. The plant thrives in containers and landscape beds and borders. Because it’s relatively drought tolerant, dipladenia is an excellent pick for busy or forgetful gardeners who may forget to water from time to time during the summer.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus adds a decidedly tropical feel to your garden. Tropical hibiscus plants are what you think of when you picture lazing by the pool in Florida. They have dark green (sometimes glossy) leaves and pink, yellow, orange, lavender, red, white, or bi-color flowers. Hibiscus plants grow best in full sun. Tropical hibiscus needs moist but well-drained soil. Tropical hibiscus plants should be kept consistently moist, so water whenever the top inch of soil is dry. Gardeners in cooler climates will have to bring tropical hibiscus plants indoors during the winter. Before doing so, trim each plant back by about 1/3. Thoroughly wash off the stems and leaves to remove any lingering insect pests, then place plants in a warm location with lots of indirect light. This is a rest period for the plants, so allow the soil to almost fully dry out between watering and fertilize only once per month during the winter. Plants will likely drop their leaves. This is normal, and they will eventually grow out again.