What you’ll learn
- How to find inspiration for designing your exotic garden
- What is needed to create and upkeep maintain an exotic garden when you live in cooler climates.
- How to incorporate exotic plants into any size space
- Important design and layout tips like finding inspiration and translating those ideas to your design.
- Selecting your plants with an eye for design
- What Purposeful Planting means and how it affects your design and maintenance
- How to prep your soil for the best gardening result
- How to help tropical plants survive colder temperatures
For adventurous gardeners that are looking for ways to put a fresh spin on their garden. One of the latest garden trends features exotic gardens and the lush, vibrant plants from jungles around the world.
But unless you live in a tropical climate, you might think that an exotic garden is out of your reach. However, you’ll be happy to hear that even in a cool climate, exotic plants can flourish with the right preparation and care.
Here are our top tips for exotic gardening in a cool climate, giving you all the details on how to give your garden a tropical touch. In this gardening guide.
Start Your Exotic Garden with a Thoughtful Design
Every stunning garden began as a carefully-formed plan, with experienced gardeners putting plenty of time and energy into cultivating the perfect design. No matter what type of garden you’re creating, exotic or otherwise, it’s important to begin by:
- Assessing available space
- Selecting plants that suit the space and your style
- Finding inspiration and translating those ideas to your design
- Considering your home’s architecture and style
Assess available space
Determining how much space you’re working with may sound like an obvious first step, but it’s one that’s missed far too often. Before you dive into plant selection and other details, get a clear idea of your planting area’s square footage and layout.
For example, if you only have a few square feet of planting space, you simply can’t expect to grow an entire mini-jungle of soaring palms. However, an exotic garden doesn’t have to be large; in fact, exotic borders have quickly become a favorite for gardeners with limited space. Even if your current outdoor area is already established, you can likely find spots where a few exotic plants can add a pop of color and texture.
Select plants
One of the most exciting parts of creating an exotic garden is picking out plants. For many gardeners, tropical plants present a whole new world of shapes, sizes, and colors, offering dramatically different varieties than they’re used to.
Look for plants with large leaves and strong shapes, as well as a variety of vibrant colors. Don’t be afraid to venture outside your comfort zone, especially because exotic gardening is the perfect opportunity to get creative. A mix of lush planting and colorful blooms will create that jungle feel, whether you’re planting in a small or large area.
Search for inspiration
It’s never been easier to find gardening inspiration, from books and magazines to online blogs and digital bookmark sites. Immerse yourself in exotic garden ideas to pinpoint the elements that you like most. As a result, you’ll have a clear vision for your garden’s style, and will likely find plenty of ideas for plant types, planting designs, and more.
Consider your home style
Your home can serve as a sort of canvas to your garden, whether you prefer for it to fade into the background or offer up dramatic contrast. Virtually all architectural styles are well-suited to exotic gardening.
The sculptural statement of modern architecture pairs beautifully with unusual exotic plants, while traditional home styles give an exotic garden a classic, timeless look.
Prepare for Purposeful Planting
What does purposeful planting mean? It means taking an intentional approach to preparing and planting your garden. For an exotic garden to succeed in a non-tropical climate, some care will need to be taken in both preparation so you can sit back and enjoy your garden jungle, you’ll need to:
- Find a good planting location
- Prepare the soil
- Plant your new exotic plants with a “jungle” in mind
Find a good planting location
If you’ve spent time getting to know your outdoor space, you may have already learned that there tend to be “microclimates” in various parts of the garden. For example, near your house, it’s usually much warmer – ideal for exotic plants.
Take a long, slow walk around your outdoor area to pinpoint the location that will best support exotic garden varieties. You might choose an empty planting bed that borders the front of your home, a series of pots on the front porch, or even a large open area in the backyard.
Prepare the soil
It doesn’t matter what type of garden you’re planning; the right soil is critical. But unless you live in a jungle – which we’re assuming you don’t, if the climate is cool – you might find that the native soil isn’t exactly ideal for tropical plants.
Balanced nutrients, water uptake, and temperature resistance are all benefits that can be provided by the right soil additive. Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Conditioner was crafted to support a plethora of plants and gardens (even exotic ones!), using an innovative structure to offer unbeatable nutrient absorption, moisture retention, and disease prevention. Plants benefit from added temperature hardiness, which is important for exotic plants living in cooler climates. Plus, because it’s all-natural, you won’t have to worry about chemicals seeping into the rest of your garden.
Plant your “jungle”
In a naturally-occurring jungle, there are layers of plants: a canopy of trees and tall shrubs with ferns, flowers, and other smaller plants beneath. Consider this when arranging your exotic garden, attempting to replicate the structure whenever possible. If you’re creating an exotic border rather than a full garden, see if you can situate the exotic plants near larger counterparts.
Once your exotic garden is established, you’ll be able to enjoy watching it grow, expand, and bloom. Use a quality supplement like Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Conditioner every season, ensuring that your plants have the extra support they need. Always be mindful of the ideal growing conditions for your selected plants so that your exotic garden can bring you happiness for years to come.
Help Your Exotic Garden Thrive with Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Conditioner
If you’ve been dreaming of creating an exotic garden, you can bring your vision to life even in a cool climate – as long as you take the right approach. In any garden climate zone, proper preparation is the key to happy, healthy plants, and Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Conditioner was specifically crafted to help you start your garden off strong.
Formulated with an all-natural, sustainably-sourced blend of minerals, our soil conditioner is uniquely shaped to support optimum soil structure and plant strength. Encouraging balanced moisture absorption, hearty growth, and exceptional resilience to pests, disease, and temperature changes, Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Conditioner will be your newest favorite gardening secret. Don’t let garden climate zones limit your gardening creativity; invest in Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Conditioner to give all your plants the healthy foundation they need to flourish.
