A few favorite tropical flowers include the affordable and stunning members of the hibiscus and orchid families.
Meanwhile, bromeliads (air plants) are not only beautiful but are also low-maintenance in warmer locations.
Ready to bring color into your home?
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Here are stunning tropical flowers to enhance your garden or arrange a tropical bouquet.
Warning
Some of the following tropical plants are toxic to humans and animals, as noted below.
Like many tropical flowers, the brilliant colors of the hibiscus are a beacon to butterflies.
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Bromeliads
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Despite their unusual appearance, bromeliads (Guzmaniaspp.)
are surprisingly unfussy tropical plants that tolerate a wide range of temperatures from near-freezing to triple digits.
Bromeliads for beginners include those found in theGuzmaniagenus.
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It is the perfect tropical plant for those with a slightly brownish thumb.
This plant is toxic to humans and animals.
Also known as red-hot cattail, it may need supplementary lighting with a grow light to overwinter successfully indoors.
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Orchid
One of the most popular tropical orchids is thecattleya orchid.
Choosing the right growing medium is critical fororchids, which do not grow well in standing water.
A chunky, bark-based growing mix for orchids will give your plant a healthy start.
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Choose a pot with many drainage holes to ensure the plant will not be overwatered.
Humidity is just as important as watering is for healthy plants.
While indoors (especially during cold winters), give jasmine bright but indirect light and a cool location.
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However, as with most tropicals, hot and humid conditions are required for thriving plants.
Bring your ginger plants indoors when temperatures dip below 50 degrees to prevent leaf tips from browning.
The blossoms are fuzzy, leathery, and quite drought-tolerant.
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Plant proteas in a sandy potting mix and water once or twice a week.
A half-day of sun adequately coaxes the plant to bloom in late winter through spring.
However, the cheerful magenta or red bracts will appear quickly on new transplants you install in the spring.
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The flowers are bracts in red, pink, white, and dramatic burgundy hues.
The shiny surface of the bracts lends a lacquered appearance, which stands out in dappled sunlight conditions.
Provide flamingo flowers with rich,moist soiland protect them from temperatures below 40 degrees.
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This plant is toxic to humans and pets.
Pot it in orchid bark and water sparingly.
Provide the plant with dappled sunlight and moderate temperatures.
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A daily misting will keep your medinilla going through the dry environs of a winter windowsill.
Even if you are plagued by soggy or boggy soil, cannas will grow in standing water.
It is nearly impossible for these hungry giants to have too much sunshine or nutrients.
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Amending the soil with compost or manure helps taller varieties such as ‘Phasion’ reach their potential.
Angel’s Trumpet
The show-stopping hanging trumpet-shaped flowers of the angel’s trumpet (Brugmansiaspp.)
make this plant a delight for any garden.
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A variegated cultivar such as ‘Snowbank’ will make plants interesting even out of bloom.
Provide these shrubs with a large container, partial shade, and regular water.
Prune hard in the fall when you bring it inside for the winter.
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This plant is toxic to humans and animals.
Bird-of-Paradise
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Thebird-of-paradise(Strelitzia reginae) is an iconic name for an eye-catching flower.
Note that it is toxic to animals.
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They grow well in pots and can be overwintered indoors in cooler climates.
Its branches grow in a cascading pattern, adding color and greenery to gardens in warmer clients.
With cape plumbago, you won’t get just one growing season, you’ll have blooms all year.
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A popular variety is ‘Parrot’s Beak’.
While it is possible togrow heliconia indoors, it is tricky.
Native to the warm, humid climate of Brazil.
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it makes an excellent indoor plant in temperate regions.
Provide the plant with partial sunlight, moist but well-drained soil, and temperatures between 60 and 85 degrees.
Because of its humidity requirements, it is finicky to grow.
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Stephanotis needs a trellis, wire round, or fencing for the vine to support the tendrils.
It blooms from early summer to early fall, followed by hollow fruits in late summer.
In climates with warm winters, it is an evergreen.
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Passionflower thrives in high humidity.
The blooms unfurl as the sun goes down and even on cloudy days.
Moonflower is best planted in the spring after the danger of frost has passed.
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This form of morning glory may be toxic to pets.
The fragrant flowers grow in a ball-shaped cluster.
Train ahoya plantas a vine, or allow it to trail over the side of a hanging basket.
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Indoors, the plant remains much smaller than outdoors.
Plant these tropical bulbs in the ground or pots and leave them outdoors year-round.
In mid- to late fall, the foliage dies back when they enter their dormancy period.
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This plant is toxic to humans and animals.
These compact, low-growing plants with thick, fuzzy leaves are available in many leaf forms and colors.
Mandevilla
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Also known as rocktrumpet, mandevilla (Mandevillaspp.)
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is a genus of tropical flowering vines native to North America, Central America, and South America.
The five-petal trumpet-shaped flowers are often showy and fragrant.
When grown outdoors in a warm climate, mandevilla may bloom year-round.
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Some species within the genus have smaller, more plentiful blooms while others have fewer, larger blooms.
The large (1 to 2 1/2 feet long) colorful leaves are fast-growing and long-lasting.
When grown outdoors the plant may produce small six-petaled star-shaped florets on a dropping branched stem or panicle.
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Ti is toxic to humans and animals.
Poinsettias require darkness at night so don’t plant them in an area with outdoor spotlights or lamps.
This plant ismildly toxicto animals.
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In its native Asia and Australia, this is an understory plant that grows best in semi-tropical conditions.
The bat flower blooms from late spring through early fall with new blooms appearing repeatedly throughout the season.
The flowers are 3 to 5 inches wide and a deep, vibrant purple.
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Princess flower has a natural round or vase-shaped growth habit and is quite tall when mature.
Many gardeners prefer to prune it to control its size and shape it into a more compact form.
Indoors, it remains much smaller.
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The cone-shaped flowerheads of torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) are surrounded by large, slightly drooping bracts.
The leaves are large too, growing almost 3 feet long.
The flowers of torch ginger are used forfloral arrangements, as well as in cooking for their sour-sweet flavor.
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Torch ginger grows fairly quickly when grown in a warm, humid climate.
Jasmine is commonly viewed as the most fragrant tropical flower.
Plumeria and gardenia are also highly scented.
Is bougainvillea a deer-proof plant?USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
Bird of Paradise Flower.ASPCA.
Amaryillis.University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
North Carolina State Extension.
