Tropical gardens lift our spirits and transport us into magical, exotic places such as Hawaii, Bali, Florida's Keys, the Bahamas and beyond. Although not everyone wants a completely tropical backyard, the beauty of tropical plants is undeniable. The addition of tropical plants to your garden may bring you one step closer to your dream of these wonderful faraway places.

When you think of tropical, what comes to mind? Large-leaf foliage plants, spectacular splashes of colorful flowers, exotic looking flowers and foliage. The tropical look has been aptly described as "flamboyant in form and contrast." As you read this article, release your biases regarding the uses of tropical plants. Imagine ways that you can introduce your favorite tropical into your cottage garden or classic garden. We think that you will find the perfect location for your favorite one.

Alternatively, tropical garden lovers, discover other plants not classically considered "tropical" and put them into your garden--and you'll love the effect. Abutilon is excellent for this. Tibouchina (princess flower), acuba, fuchsia, camellia and impatiens are other plants that help you think out of the tropical plant box.

From the horticultural point of view, "tropical" means a plant that cannot sustain freezing temperatures. So, not all plants so defined will have that lush tropical look, will they! Actually. there are "tropical" desert plants too, including cactus and succulents.

Tropical plants exemplified in this article may be included simply because they are tropical looking. And some plants may also be drought tolerant and not from what we consider a classic tropical locale. But blended together, they create that exotic tropical look.

Plant them into your garden, whatever its style may be...Well, keep in mind that plants can take on the characteristics of their surrounding plant neighbors. This is why we would encourage you, if your choice is not a tropical garden, to consider our tropical friends anyway. The variation in foliage color, textures and size will add a new element. Remember, in garden design, it is good to vary these elements to add interest to your garden borders.

The tropical plant (and tropical-look plant) list is long and diverse. The list below is names just a few. We're sure you could think of just as many more!

Trees: Bananas (musa and ensete), brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet), palms, tree ferns, dracena, cassia, tibouchina, tupidanthus, schefflera, and feijoa (guava).

Shrubs: Abutilon, acuba, brunsfelsia (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow plant), ferns, philodendrons, hibiscus, fatsia, gardenia, iresine, justicia, and strelitzia (Bird of Paradise).

Vines: Burmese honeysuckle, bougainvillea, tecoma (yellow trumpet flowers), Distictus (trumpet flowers), and passion flower vines.

Grasses: Cyperus (papyrus), sedges, bamboo, and liriope.

Miscellaneous: Aloe, begonia (rex hybrids), clivia, plumeria, bromeliads, fuchsia, and impatiens.

Are you able to find a perfect place in your garden for any one of these? If you need more help with this, just ask any one of us. We will be happy to help you create your tropical island garden get-away!

Many homeowners revel in the glory of their garden in spring, only to be disappointed when plants start to dry out and look stressed in the heat of summer. The natural reaction is to pour more water into the garden to "moisturize" the plants. This in turn can lead to root rot and/or the continuous lowering of soil temperature to the point that plants aren't stimulated to grow--or just plain die (overwatering is one of the main causes of plant death). But these problems can be greatly reduced or, in many cases, prevented by summer mulching.

The goal of summer mulching is not only to reduce summer heat stress on plants, but to create an environment for plants that will be conducive to good growth. Mulch is to a garden what a roof is to your home. We couldn't heat or air condition the home without the roof. The same seasonal temperature variance occurs in your garden. A 2" layer of mulch not only retains moisture in the soil but it maintains a cooler temperature in the summer and a warmer temperature in the winter.

Mulching also brings many other benefits to the garden. It gives the garden a tidier appearance and greatly improves the growing conditions for plants. Mulch helps suppress weeds and helps to conserve moisture. It creates an environment where earthworms can thrive and enhance the soil's condition. Nature provides this for us in natural settings; when we apply mulch to our garden, we mimic what is naturally done on the forest floor.

The strategy is to stimulate the growth of good soil bacteria, which in turn digest plant foods that the plant will recognize as nutrients and absorb. By keeping moisture in the soil you will attract earthworms and beneficial microbes and bacteria. The earthworms loosen up the soil, easing compaction, while the beneficial microbes help digest nutrients more efficiently, making them more readily available to the plants. Maintaining "moist" soil as opposed to "wet" soil keeps the temperature of the soil at a more consistent level for optimum growth. Mulch also provides a blanket to the soil that protects against soil crusting, as it decomposes and adds humus to the soil.

We recommend spreading a 2" inch layer of mulch or bark over the top of the native soil. There are many mulching materials available. Color, particle size, and nutrient exchange are considerations when choosing your material. We recommend cedar mulch, small bark and soil building compost. Non-organic decorative mulches such as rock or gravel may be an attractive addition in gardens but give nothing back to the soil. Note: make sure not to place mulch right up against plant stems or tree trunks.

When mulching is incorporated with a good organic fertilizing program, the plants in your garden will not only survive the stress of summer and winter, but will thrive in it. Mulch will also give your garden a more "finished" look, adding to its overall beauty.

Some varieties of banana ripen on the plant. For these, when the fruit begins to turn yellow, reach up with a long-handled fruit picker or pruning hook, and pick one banana. If it's creamy yellow inside, and is soft-textured and sweet, it's ready. To harvest, cut off individual hands of fruit as they ripen, or if they're too far out of reach, cut the whole trunk down as described below.

Most varieties don't ripen on the plant. Pick their fruit when they've lost their sharp edges and indented sides; wait until they lose their angularity. When the fruit is still green but has become rounded, filled out, and fat-looking, it's ready to pick. (You will know if you have this type of plant because the fruit will not turn yellow on the plant.)

Once ready, cut the whole plant down by nicking the underside of the trunk with a sharp knife or giving it a single whack with a machete. It will fall of its own weight. Ask someone to stand below and catch the fruit as it falls. Cut off the entire fruit scape and hang it in a shady place to ripen, such as your front porch or patio overhang. When individual bananas go yellow, they're ready to eat.

Chop up the remains of the stalk that's borne fruit; use it to mulch the rest of your bananas or bury it and let it rot. Plant your next banana in that spot.

Cacti and succulents can be repotted at any time of the year, though spring or the end of the growing season are convenient times. Many succulents present no special handling problems, but prickly cacti have to be treated with respect.

If possible, choose a soil mix formulated for cacti, as this will be well drained and have the right sort of structure and nutrient level. A soil-based potting mixture is a practical alternative. Some commercial growers use peat-based potting mixtures, but these are best avoided. Apart from the difficulty in keeping the water balance right, peat-based potting mixtures do not have the weight and structure to support large cacti and succulents. We highly recommend you use Kellogg Palm & Cactus Mix.

Large specimens do not need regular repotting. Simply remove about 3 cm (about 1 inch) of soil from the top and replace with fresh cactus soil.

To handle a prickly cactus, fold a strip of newspaper, thick paper or thin card to make a flexible band that you can wrap around the plant. Tap the pot on a hard surface to loosen the root-ball. You can then often lift the plant out with the improvised handle. If it refuses to move, try pushing a pencil through the drainage hole to break the bond.

If the plant has been in the same soil for a long time, crumble away a little of it from the base and around the sides of the root-ball. But be careful to minimize damage to the roots. Just shake off loose compost.

The majority of cacti and succulents are best in pots that are quite small in proportion to the size of the top growth. It is usually best to move the plant into a pot only one size larger. If using a clay pot, cover the drainage hole with pieces of broken pot or other material.

While holding the plant with the improvised handle, trickle compost around the old root-ball. With some cacti, their shape makes this difficult to do without your hand touching the spines, in which case you can use a spoon.

With a little care in handling, you will have a plant ready to go on decorating your garden for some time to come.

Who's your bud? Not the budworm. When the weather warms up, you can bet this pest is on its way. The budworm (a type of caterpillar/moth) is gunning for your geraniums, petunias, snapdragons, and other flowering plants. Knowing the budworm's diet, habits, and the effective control methods, you will be armed and ready for combat.

It can be hard to spot budworms. They are very small and they tend to take on the color of the bloom or foliage they are infesting, further enhancing their camouflage. You will see irregular chewing on the blossoms and round holes through flower buds and leaves. The numerous black droppings they leave behind are one of the telltale signs. Many gardeners may not know they have a problem until the damage becomes severe.

Controlling this pest depends on the amount of planting. With a small patio of plants, physically removing and killing them should be effective. A larger yard would require spraying. Insecticides that contain Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), such as Green Light's BT, offer reasonably effective biological control. Because the Bt must be ingested by the insect to be effective, it may take a few days before you no longer see any signs of budworms. Plant sprays containing Sevin are also effective in controlling budworms.

Now that you know what to look for, and what to spray, you'll be armed and ready at the first sign of attack.

If you are looking for a little color inside your home, try growing orchids as houseplants. Orchids are fascinating because of their extraordinary variety of sizes, colors, shapes, and habits, as well as their variety of fragrances. And best of all, orchids can be grown by just about anyone able to grow other houseplants. Different varieties bloom at different times of the year and can be combined to provide some type of bloom almost year-round.

Like any other houseplant, orchids require proper watering, feeding, light, temperatures, and humidity. Plants should be grown in an east, south, or west window, but should be protected from direct midday sun.

In nature, most orchids grow attached to trees, with the roots hanging loose in the tropical jungle air. They usually receive a good rain once a day and then they dry out. In the home, it is best to allow orchids to dry out well after each watering. If the roots are kept too wet, they may start to rot.

Orchids perform best when not fed during their bloom cycle. After blooming, feed with Grow More 20-20-20 Orchid Formula at every watering throughout the growing (non-blooming) season.