The exotic-style garden is attracting an increasing number of gardeners. Bamboo, palm trees, and banana plants are among the most popular plants for creating scenes that evoke the tropical jungle, but there are many others! To make this dream accessible and sustainable, both outdoors and even in cold climates, there is only one option: to choose truly hardy plants that can withstand winter's harshness. Here is a small selection of our favourite plants (bushes and perennials)!
1) Trachycarpus fortunei, known as "Hemp Palm" - Hardiness: -18 °C
No, palm trees are not just on the Croisette… they can also be found in northern France, for example, with the Trachycarpus fortunei, which can withstand temperatures down to -18 °C. This ability to face the cold comes from its mountainous origins (China and Japan) as well as the thick fibre that protects its trunk. It can reach heights of 8 to 10 metres and prefers rich, light soil, thriving in full sun or partial shade.
2) The Banana Plant or Musa basjoo - Hardiness: -12 °C to -15 °C
The Musa basjoo is an outdoor banana plant, hardy, also known as the "Japanese Banana". It is a valiant plant that generally does not produce fruit but displays its large decorative leaves each year. It can grow over 2 metres tall, and even more if you ensure it receives what it needs: regular watering and rich soil. Its only weakness lies in poor wind resistance. If you don’t want its leaves to be turned into sad little brooms, it is essential to protect it by planting it in a sheltered area or a walled space.
Slightly less hardy but still quite resilient, also discover the Sikkim banana (or Sikkim Banana) Red Tiger, a variety with graphic leaves, light green with a purple underside, elegantly striped with burgundy.
3) Bamboos: Phyllostachys vivax and Fargesia robusta - Hardiness: -20 °C and -15 °C
Bamboos are among the classics of exotic gardens, but their hardiness varies greatly depending on the species and varieties. Among the most spectacular, we particularly like the Phyllostachys vivax 'Huangwenzhu', a giant bamboo (running… plan for a rhizome barrier) that can grow its green canes striped with yellow to over 10 metres tall. Fast-growing, it will quickly form a small forest. Relatively smaller in size (4 to 5 metres tall) and non-running, the Fargesia robusta is better suited for small gardens. It features long green leaves and bright green culms.
4) Fatsia japonica Spider's Web - Hardiness: -15 °C
The Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' is a shrub with a unique personality! About 2 metres tall, this Aralia showcases dark green, evergreen foliage splashed with cream-white. Its palmate leaves can reach up to 20 cm in diameter. In summer, they are topped with round white flowers that later turn into decorative black berries. This shrub thrives in shade or partial shade, in cool soil.
5) Tetrapanax papyrifera Rex, Rice Paper Plant - Hardiness: -10 °C
Halfway between a shrub and a perennial, Tetrapanax papyrifera 'Rex' is an exuberant plant that captivates with the XXL size and cut shape of its leaves that spread out like a parasol. Native to China and Japan, it is a rhizomatous plant, like bamboo, that tends to spread and may require a rhizome barrier. It grows in non-burning sun or partial shade, in fertile and rather cool soil. Its loose habit and Asian charm make this plant a perfect complement to bamboos.
Note that the aerial parts of this plant are destroyed at -5 °C, but it will regrow from the rootstock above -10 °C, once well established.
6) Colocasia Pink China - Elephant Ear - Hardiness: -10 °C to -12 °C
Lush, the Colocasia 'Pink China' stands out for the heart-shaped form and the colour of its large foliage: a lovely soft blue-green that contrasts with the pink of its petioles. Well known to houseplant enthusiasts, this colocasia can be grown in the garden, provided you mulch it to protect it during winter. It is planted in full sun or partial shade, in cool, humus-rich soil, and appreciates regular watering in summer.
7) Astilboides tabularis - Hardiness: -20 °C
The Astilboides tabularis (sometimes called Rodgersia tabularis) is a spectacular woodland plant that stands out for its large, entire, rounded leaves, about 60 cm in diameter. It quickly forms a clump that can reach 1 metre high and 70 cm wide, or even more if the soil suits it. Its generous foliage is accompanied, in early summer, by light, creamy-white spikes of flowers. It is an ideal perennial for shade, thriving in rich, cool, but well-drained soils.
8) Dryopteris wallichiana, Large Golden-scaled Fern - Hardiness: -15 °C
Majestic, Dryopteris wallichiana is a large fern that unfurls a remarkable cut foliage highlighted by a black vein in spring. Of tall stature (1 to 1.5 metres high) and beautiful appearance, it somewhat resembles tree ferns, especially as its short basal trunk develops with age. It is a variety that is quite easy to cultivate, thriving in deep, very rich humus soil. It will look stunning in a border and can be accompanied by another hardy fern: the Eastern Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia orientalis).
9) Hosta Empress Wu
Hostas are well known for their hardiness and ability to grow in shade or partial shade. While some fit easily into classic borders, others offer such abundant foliage that they easily find their place in a tropical-looking garden. This is the case for the giant Hosta 'Empress Wu', certainly the largest variety that can reach 1.3 metres in all directions in just a few years and displays magnificent blue-green foliage. It is a perennial that requires nourishment and water to express its full potential.
10) Begonia grandis evansiana - Hardiness: -15 °C
Begonias are not just for window boxes: Begonia grandis evansiana, a botanical species, perennial and resistant down to -18 °C here is proof! Its heart-shaped green foliage forms a beautiful bushy clump about 80 cm high and 50 cm wide, adorned throughout the summer with numerous small pink flowers borne on reddish stems. It can be grown in the ground or in pots, ideally in partial shade and in rich, cool soil.
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