Create a tropical destination right outside your backdoor. Adding tropical plants to your outdoor living area will bring color, fragrance and beauty to your patio all summer long.

Here are our top picks:

HIBISCUS

Sun Exposure: Bright light.

Bloom Time: Mid to late Summer

Water Needs: Water daily during summer months.

With blooms in yellow, pink and orange, these plants will add a tropical flair to your patio. They thrive in the warm temperatures of summer and love sunshine. It is best to grow Hibiscus in containers; they’ll be easier to bring inside for the winter. For beautiful blooms, fertilize once a week with a fertilizer high in phosphorus, such as English Gardens Bloom Builder.

MANDEVILLA/DIPLADENIA

Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light or part-shade.

Bloom Time: Early Summer until Fall

Water Needs: Keep soil moist.

Mandevilla and Dipladenia vines are a gorgeous addition to any outdoor space. They do best in an extremely warm location, with a bit of shade. Keep away from direct sun, it can cause the leaves to burn.  Keeping your Mandevilla in a container will make it easier to move into its ideal location, especially if you are taking it indoors in the winter. However, it can be treated as an annual, and be planted in the ground. Wrapping the stems around a trellis, will have the vines growing beautifully all summer. Fertilize Mandevillas with a high phosphorus fertilizer, such as English Gardens Bloom Builder.

GARDENIAS

Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect-light or Partial Shade

Bloom Time: Beginning early Summer

Water Needs: Keep soil moist.

Gardenias are known for their fragrant flowers and gorgeous foliage. These plants are cold sensitive, and should be kept in containers so they can move indoors during the fall and winter. Gardenias like heat, and humidity but not direct sunlight, so keep them in partial shade when outside. They also do best when spent blooms are trimmed, and branches pruned. Keep the soil moist, and use a fertilizer for acidic-loving plants monthly, like Miracle Gro Miracid.

JASMINE

Sun Exposure: Sun to light shade.

Bloom Time: Spring until Fall

Water Needs: Keep soil moist

Jasmine is known for its fragrant blooms and evergreen foliage. These plants can grow as vines, and are great climbers for arbors, trellises, and fences. If planting in the ground, treat Jasmine as an annual. Keep it in containers and it’ll make a great house plant during the winter months. Jasmine prefers a warm, shaded location. Keep them well watered, do not let the soil dry out. Train the vines early by using plant ties. Pinch off the tips of vines with spent blooms to  keep the plant looking its best.

LANTANA

Sun Exposure: Full to Part Sun

Bloom Time: Early-Spring through first frost.

Water Needs: Once established, they like to dry out between waterings.

These colorful flowers are great for attracting pollinators. Most Lantanas are grown as annuals. They work great in containers, or in garden beds. Trailing varieties work great for hanging baskets as well. Lantana likes the sun and is low-maintenance. Once established, these plants are drought-tolerant and prefer to dry out between waterings. Lantana is cold sensitive and will not bloom until temperatures warm up. They should hold their blooms until the first frost.

HELIOTROPE

Sun Exposure: Sun to Part Shade

Bloom Time: Summer to first frost

Water Needs: Keep soil moist

Heliotrope have gorgeous blooms that carry a rich cherry-almond-vanilla scent. These plants cannot withstand frost, so be sure that temperatures are warm enough before planting or moving outdoors. They do well in either containers or the ground and prefer full-sun to part-shade, and moist soil. Fertilize every two weeks with a high phosphorus fertilizer. Pinch tips back to delay blooming, and to encourage new growth.

For more information on Flowering Tropical Patio Plants, ask an expert at any English Gardens location.