Tropical Looking Plants in Zones 6 Through 8

Large Leaves

• Tropical plants tend to have very large leaves. A large surface area allows the plant to absorb some of its water needs from the atmosphere. Banana plants look like tropical trees but are actually large herbs. Hardy banana (musa basjoo) and Dajeeling banana (musa sikkimensis) are the hardiest of banana plants, but several others will do well in USDA hardiness zones 6 to 8, including musa auminata 'zebrina' and musa 'mini' super dwarf. Other large leaf plants are elephant ears (colocasia esculenta) and palm leaved bamboo (sasa palmata).

Tropical Colors

• Bright red, yellow and orange colors characterize the tropics. The colors are prevalent in flowers and foliage. Cannas are tall plants, growing 3 to 8 feet high, with large foliage and brightly colored flowers. Gardeners in zone 8 may leave their Canna rhizomes in the ground, but in zones 6 and 7, it is prudent to lift the rhizomes and store them indoors for the winter. Cannas produce showy flowers in a broad spectrum of tropical colors. The oversized leaves have a lush look and grow in colors of deep greens to light greens, purple and variegated. The swamp rose mallow (hibiscus moscheutos) produces large flowers in many colors.

Lush Foliage

• Lush green foliage is a hallmark of tropical plants. The rice paper plant (Tetrapanax papryrifer) is hardy in zone 6 and produces large green leaves. Rice-paper plants grow 10 to 15 feet with leaves as large as 20 inches across. Despite its tropical appearance, it does not demand copious amounts of water. In the fall it develops showy flowers. Growers in zones 6 to 8 have also had good luck with fatsia (fatsia japonica), a deeply-lobed, dark green plant and philodendrum (philodendrum 'xanadu'), a medium sized shrub with a clumping habit.

Exotic

• Some plants seem to convey the idea of a tropical area with their overall striking appearance. Jagged leaves combined with colorful foliage in yellow, purple or red evoke the image of the tropics. Fancy leaved caladiums combine tropical color with leaves that sport interesting shapes. Caladiums grow low to the ground and perform well in the shade provided by taller plants with big leaves. Castors (ricinus communis) also blend foliage that catches the eye, not only for their colors, but for their shape as well. Castors grow to 6 to 8 feet tall. Some varieties have blood red stems and leaves.