If you can’t visit a tropical island, bring the tropical island to you.
Or at least bring some tropical-looking plants to your garden.
With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on vacation plans for disappointed travelers, many folks are longing for a touch of the exotic.
Although the experience isn’t quite the same as lounging on a faraway beach with palm trees swaying overhead, relaxing on your own patio surrounded by unusual plants can temporarily whisk you away from temperate latitudes and workaday cares.
To enhance the mood, persuade your spouse or bribe the neighbor kid to bring you a fancy drink garnished with a little umbrella.
Here are a few ideas for plants that can create a staycation atmosphere. Those in the “hardy” category can simply be planted in the ground and left outside year-round; those in the “tender” group must be brought indoors to survive Ohio winters.
Hardy plants
• Fern: Stuck with a patch of shade that could use some pizzazz? These tough perennials can create the atmosphere of a primeval rainforest taking root in a civilized suburb.
Once established, the members of this ancient family require little care. Specimens come in a range of sizes and all varieties of green. You supply the jaguar and python.
• Hardy banana: These surprisingly tough little trees can survive many if not all Ohio winters. A key: In fall, mulch like you have never mulched before. Then mulch some more.
As you might guess, hardy bananas like a warm, sunny spot. Alas, the fruits, if they even appear, are not considered edible. The huge, rubbery leaves are the reward.
• Hardy hibiscus: With dramatic flowers the size of dinner plates, this shrub looks like it came straight from Hawaii.
But it actually thrives in moist, sunny locations in temperate climates. Various hybrids boast flowers in white, yellow, pink, red and combinations of hues.
• Yucca: Although its long, spiky leaves suggest desert origins, this evergreen shrub or perennial is quite happy in Ohio. Evoking an agave or aloe, it shares their preference for a sunny, well-drained setting.
Bonus: Tall spikes of creamy-white flowers bloom in early summer.
Tender plants
• Brugmansia: Yes, this shrub or small tree is poisonous; yes, it’s not the easiest plant to grow; and, yeah, “brugmansia” is a mouthful. But the large, pendent, trumpet-shaped flowers create an amazing tropical vibe. Admire them but don’t eat them.
Grow brugmansia (aka angel’s trumpet) in a large pot placed in a sheltered but partly sunny location, then cut it back and bring it indoors for winter.
• Canna lily: Huge leaves and showy, brightly colored flowers add a sultry accent to any sunny, well-watered spot — whether in an ornamental container or directly in a garden bed.
Gardeners who want to up the oomph can choose a canna with variegated or colored foliage.
To keep canna lilies over winter, dig the bulbs and store them where they won’t freeze.
• Colocasia: Also known as taro or elephant’s ears, colocasia is all about the foliage — humongous, arrow-shaped leaves that often boast a velvety texture. Colocasia prefers moist soil and filtered sunlight, and, as with canna lily, the bulbs must overwinter indoors.
It looks fabulous planted in the ground with shorter annuals such as impatiens, or growing in a container with low plants such as trailing coleus.
Diana Lockwood, a freelance writer covering gardening topics, posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mrsgardenperson.