Tropical-Looking Temperate Plants

Bulbs

• The bold foliage and exotic, often colorful flowers members of the aroid family could easily make someone think they were on another planet. There are many different varieties of plants in this family; some are temperate and some are tropical. The Italian arum (Arum italicum) is one such plant. Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton) is an interesting member of this family because it puts off heat as it emerges in February, which causes the snow around the plant to melt. The downside of this plant is it puts off an awful smell when it blooms. The voodoo lily (Sauromatum venosum) is a great choice for the shade garden or areas that are a little on the dry side.

Trees

• The empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a fast-growing temperate tree that produces huge leaves reminiscent of the tropics. Pawpaw or Indiana banana (Asimina triloba) will give visitors to your garden a reason to pause. The large leaves and tropical-looking fruit are something to see. The fruit, which tastes like a cross between a banana, a mango and a pineapple, is edible. If you’re looking for a tree that doesn’t have large leaves but still looks tropical in nature, try a magnolia (Magnolia). The fragrant flowers come in an array of colors including black, white, pink and yellow. Some varieties of magnolia trees bloom at night, making them ideal for a moon garden.

Perennials

• There are a number of temperate perennial plants with bold leaves. Inula (Inula) creates quite a stir in the garden. Grown for its large leaves, it produces yellow daisy-like flowers in mid to late summer. Ligularia (Ligularia) creates quite a stir in the shade garden with its large, round green or purple leaves. This plant also produces masses of yellow-colored flowers from early spring through fall. Rodgersia (Rodgersia) performs best in bog-like conditions. The green or white flowers bloom during the summer months. The dinosaur food plant (Gunnera) is the largest of all the big-leaved, topical-looking temperate plants with leaves that often measure 6 feet across. The reddish-green flowers bloom in early spring.

Vines

• The dutchman’s pipe vine (Aristolochia) is a sight to see with its heart-shaped leaves even when it is not in bloom. A rapid grower, this vine is a favorite food source for the pipevine caterpillar. The tiny yellow-green flowers look like pipes, hence its common name. Give this vine a strong support and plenty of room to grow. Another tropical-looking temperate vine is cinnamon vine (Dioscorea). The glossy-leaves quickly scramble up the side of a tree or trellis as soon as the ground warms up in late spring. They produce tiny yamlike bulbs all along the stems, but be warned, some varieties are toxic so it is best not to eat them.