You’ve seen them in holiday gardens — huge blousy hibiscus blooms, cascading walls of bougainvillea, bird of paradise standing like sculptures. And you’ve thought: I could never grow that. You’re wrong.
These four tropical showstoppers are more forgiving than you think — and with one simple trick, gardeners in cold climates can enjoy them too. This is the summer to finally try it.
As warming temperatures push growing zones northward, tropical plants are appearing in UK, Canadian, and even Irish gardens more than ever. The RHS has noted increasing interest in tender exotics as British summers become longer and warmer.
But here’s the real secret: you don’t need a tropical climate to grow these plants. You just need a strategy for winter. And that strategy is simpler than you think.
All four can spend summer outdoors and winter indoors. That’s the whole game plan.
June is prime time to get these plants established. Warm soil, long days, and rising temperatures are exactly what tropical plants are waiting for. Don’t miss this window — check out our guide on what to do in June before it’s too late.
Here’s what each plant needs to absolutely thrive outdoors right now:
All four are impressively drought-tolerant once established — perfect for water-wise summer gardens. For more on building a low-water garden around them, see our complete guide to drought-tolerant plants.
Gardeners lose these plants every single year by waiting too long. The mistake? Bringing them indoors after the first frost. By then, the damage is already done.
Cold stress happens well before temperatures hit freezing. Here’s your save-every-plant checklist:
Bougainvillea is actually semi-deciduous indoors and may drop leaves — don’t panic, don’t overwater. It’s resting, not dying.
Here’s what most gardeners overlook entirely: all four of these plants are legitimately beautiful indoors year-round — not just as overwinter refugees.
Bird of paradise in particular has become one of the most coveted indoor plants in the world, beloved by interior designers for its bold, graphic leaves. According to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Strelitzia reginae is among the most widely cultivated ornamental plants globally — for good reason.
