List of Tropical Landscape Plants

Tropical landscape plants make attractive additions to any yard. Most tropical landscape plants can be used for planter boxes, hedges or specimen plants. Some tropical plants, such as the Maui ixora, have colorful blooms. Annual pruning will help to keep your tropical landscape plants looking healthy, and may help your plants to bloom in the spring.

The Maui ixora is a popular tropical landscape plant that is often seen in warmer climates. The ixora is an acid-loving plant, so this means that you must fertilize it often. According to the University of Florida, planting the Maui ixora or any other acid-loving plant near concrete is not recommended because this may cause the pH in the soil to be too high for plant growth. Growing the ixora under the right conditions can produce green leaves and bright colorful blooms. The Maui ixora comes in a wide variety of colors such as red, yellow, orange or white. The Maui ixora likes full sun but will tolerate some shade. Pests such as mealy bugs and scale insects can adversely affect this tropical plant. Use a horticultural spray to eliminate pests and keep your plants looking their best.

Crotons are tropical landscape plants that thrive in warm climates. Crotons have colorful leaves that can have many variations on leaf types. The croton is extremely vulnerable to cold weather, and injury from the cold may result in leaf dropping after periods of cold weather. According to Crotons.org, some types of crotons may include the broad leaf croton, oak leaf croton, semi-oak leaf croton, narrow leaf croton, spiral leaf croton, interrupted leaf croton and the recurved leaf croton. Crotons may reach heights of 8 to 10 feet and require heavy pruning during spring and other mild times of the year. Planting crotons in shifting sun will help them achieve the most vivid colors, as crotons that are planted in shade remain mostly green in color.

Hibiscus plants are tropical landscape plants that come in striking colors. Hibiscus plants like to be planted in the sun, but will bloom best if you plant them in an area that receives partial shade, especially in tropical locations where the temperature may exceed 90 degrees F. Having a little bit of shade during the hot part of the day will result in larger and more colorful blooms. A tropical hibiscus plant will sustain damage if left in freezing temperatures for too long, so it is important to cover the hibiscus in order to hold in heat. The hibiscus is a tropical landscape plant that can live for a long time if planted and cared for properly. According to Trop-Hibiscus.com, some older garden varieties of hibiscus have been known to live for over 50 years. The new hybrids usually live for five to 10 years.