Tropical garden design and ideas
Tropical garden design means planting for a jungle look with plants that grow in a UK garden: huge leaves from hardy bananas, tree ferns and fatsia, spiky palms and cordylines, and hot orange and red flowers from cannas and crocosmia, packed in close.
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Real tropical garden ideas
Tropical garden design pictures from real gardens redesigned with the app, from a narrow bed along a fence to a raised bed in gravel. Tap Before to see how each started, or Get this garden to try the look on yours.
Small tropical garden ideas
Tropical garden ideas for small spaces: a narrow bed along a fence and a raised bed in gravel, packed with cannas and golden grass. 2 gardens
A raised sleeper bed in gravel filled with a cordyline, cannas and golden grass
Get this garden →Tropical back garden ideas
Big leaves for a whole garden: bananas, ferns, palms and agaves along a deck and up a flight of steps. 2 gardens
A long deck into a jungle of bananas, ferns and palms, with a pergola and summerhouse
Get this garden →
Steps beside raised sleeper beds of agaves, hostas and big leaved plants
Get this garden →How to design a tropical garden
The few ideas behind every garden above, and how to turn them into a tropical garden plan of your own.
What makes a tropical garden
A tropical garden is about leaves first: big, bold and glossy, layered so the garden feels enclosed and green. Flowers come second, in hot reds, oranges and yellows that glow against all that green. In the UK the look comes from hardy exotics, plants that look tropical but grow outside here.
Hardy exotics for a UK garden
Chusan palms, cordylines, fatsia, phormium and evergreen ferns stay outside all year in most of the UK and hold a tropical garden together through winter. Hardy bananas, tree ferns and cannas bring the drama in summer; in colder gardens their crowns are wrapped or mulched over winter, so a sheltered, sunny corner suits them best.
Layering big leaves
Plant in three layers: tall leaves at the back, a palm, a banana or bamboo; bold mid-height leaves like fatsia, cannas and hostas in front of them; and low golden grasses and ferns along the edge. Plant closer than you would in a border, so the leaves overlap and no soil shows by midsummer.
A tropical look in a small space
A tropical garden suits a small space, because a few big leaves fill it fast and hide the fences. A raised bed, a narrow strip along a fence or a corner by the house is enough: one palm or cordyline for height, a canna or two for colour and golden grass at the front, as in the gardens above.
See it on your own garden first
Garden Design App designs your garden from a photo. It reads a picture of your garden, keeps the house, fences and trees exactly where they are, and redesigns it with exotic-looking plants you could genuinely grow.
From an idea to a plan you can plant
When one of the designs clicks, the Pro and Max plans turn it into a planting plan: every plant named, how big each grows and where each goes, with a month by month flowering calendar so the garden has something in flower from spring to autumn.
12 tropical garden plants
Hardy exotics that give the jungle look and grow in a UK garden.
- Hardy bananas
- Tree ferns
- Chusan palm
- Cordyline
- Cannas
- Fatsia
- Phormium
- Bamboo
- Dahlias
- Hostas
- Ligularia
- Ferns
More tropical garden ideas
Orange and red cannas and crocosmia under banana leaves: our hot border ideas use the same fiery shades.
Hostas, ferns and foxgloves along a shady path: big leaves that like shade are the heart of our shade garden ideas.
Ferns and dark grasses at the foot of a brick wall turn a small paved space green in our courtyard garden ideas.
Tropical garden design questions
Can you have a tropical garden in the UK?
Yes. Hardy exotics like the Chusan palm, cordyline, fatsia and hardy banana grow outside in much of the UK and give the look of a tropical garden. A sheltered, sunny spot out of cold winds suits them best.
How do I lay out a tropical garden?
In layers: tall leaves at the back, such as a palm, a banana or bamboo; bold mid-height leaves like fatsia, cannas and hostas in front of them; and low grasses and ferns along the edge. Plant closely, so the leaves overlap.
What plants do you put in a tropical garden?
Plants with big or spiky leaves: hardy bananas, tree ferns, Chusan palms, cordylines, fatsia and phormium, with cannas, dahlias and crocosmia for hot colour, and ferns and hostas to fill the gaps.
Do tropical plants survive a UK winter?
The hardy ones do. Chusan palms, cordylines, fatsia, phormium and bamboo stay outside all year in most of the UK. In colder areas, bananas and tree ferns need their crowns wrapped over winter, and cannas need a thick mulch or lifting and keeping frost free.
Can I see a tropical garden on my own garden?
Yes. Add a photo of your garden, choose the tropical style, and see it redesigned in about a minute. Your house, fences and trees stay.
Are the plants real, and can I buy them?
Yes. With the Pro and Max plans every design names its plants: garden centre favourites and RHS Award of Garden Merit winners, chosen by a professional gardener, with how big each grows and where each goes.
Is it free?
Your first 3 designs are free, with no card needed. The Pro plan is £29 and the Max plan is £49, paid once, with nothing to cancel.
Can I try more than one tropical garden idea?
Yes. Make different designs and compare them on your own garden. Your first 3 are free, and Pro, one payment of £29, gives you 20 designs over 14 days, two at a time, so you can see several looks side by side.
Why does my redesign look like high summer?
We show your garden at its peak, in full flower, so you can see how full it can look. It is an artist's impression: your real garden changes through the seasons. Every paid design comes with a flowering calendar, so you know what flowers each month, and evergreen shapes help it look good in winter.
Bring the jungle home with one photo.
Try any of these tropical garden ideas on your own garden in about a minute. Your first 3 designs are free.
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