How to Design a Tropical Garden
Palapa, Palm Trees, Waterfall, Firepit Installation and More
Mar 6, 2008
When the Chastains returned from a relaxing vacation in Tahiti, it was clear how they would finish off the back yard of their one-acre property. After spending a week relaxing in an over-water thatch roof palapas bungalow, sipping cool French Polynesian drinks, and falling asleep nightly to the sound of water and the breeze softly moving palm fronds, they were ready to start construction.
While their front garden was landscaped in a natural rock garden design, they decided to completely shift the emphasis to a tropical setting and something unusual. Enlisting the services of a Sacramento area landcape designer, and borrowing an idea from Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, the excavation began. Over 150 tons of soil was removed to create the sunken garden. Smaller in scale than the famous Canadian Botanic Garden, the idea was the same - to create a unique, intimate space surrounded by lush plantings.
Creating a retaining wall on one end of the sunken garden is the wine cellar which supports the garden's outstanding feature and focal point: the Palapa. Built from hand selected knotty pine beams, the tropical palm roofed hut serves as a main gathering place and lookout onto the sunken garden. No details were spared as the enclosure includes a ceiling fan, and post light sconces, studded with transparent tumbled stones, found on a trip to Cabo San Lucas. Urethane bamboo uprights skirt the enclosure making it child safe. A knotty-pine log was milled to create a perimeter counter-top for barstool convenience.
Paver stones were set into place to create the steps, which leads to the patio space at the base level which services the fire pit and waterfall pool area. Natural moss rock boulders of various sizes were used for the waterfall construction, and placed on the slope of the garden for retaining the aesthetic purposes.
Tips for designing a tropical garden:
- Be certain plants will grow in your area. Many true tropical plants will not tolerate frost. Luckily there are many sub-tropical plants that have a tropical look to them. Palms such as the Butia, Washintona ,Sago,Trachycarpus,Sabal, and Brahea, will take more cold - tolerating down to 18 degrees or lower. For cold tolerance and a great resource for palms go to www.junglemusic.net A tip when planting palms: Plant a grove of palms using the same species. As they develop the unity of the grouping will create a relaxing outdoor room. When massed together it will provide shade as well.
- Shrubs to look for include - Bold foliage Canna lillies for a tall tropical background - available in a variety of leaf colors. (Note that cannas spread so give them room.) Hibiscus moscheutos, will tolerate extreme cold temperatures. Huge tropical hibiscus flowers develop in large numbers during the summer months. In the fall the plants go dormant . Remove frosted stems and it returns in full glory quickly the following spring. This fantastic plant should be used more often. Coreopsis Moonbeam or Zagrebe is a free flowering perennial that blooms most of the summer - yellow flowers cover the plants till fall when they go dormant. Use this one as a front plant for layering in the deep flower beds.
- Create contour in the planting area by bringing in fresh topsoil and creating mounds. This will give the tropical garden a natural look and your plants will thrive in the fresh soil to quickly run their roots through.
- Boulders, rocks, and cobble can add another dimension to the tropical garden design. Vary the sizes and shapes of boulders and bury them into the ground so they look natural.
- Lighting is important to the tropical garden. Light the paths and uplight the bold foliage and palm stems to create a warm and interesting landscape to view while you sit on the patio or while looking out the dining room window at diner time.
- check out http://garden-styles.suite101.com/article.cfm/designing_a_natural_garden for more ideas on landscaping a natural garden.
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