Anyone interested in contributing to a planting guide?

[dukeofdoom]

What are the essential plants of a cold hardy tropical garden?

Imagine a 25 feet x 25 feet square planting area that you want to make look tropical in a zone 7 or below.
Assuming the person is willing to do minimal winter protection, but is limited by budget.
They will order all plants online to save money.

What plants would you choose, and why?

1. If you have only a budget of 500 dollars to spend (about $1 a square foot).
2. If you have a 1,000 dollars to spend, ($2 a square foot)
3. You have a 5,000 dollars or an unlimited budget ($10/square foot or more)

Not all plants have to be tropical, but should help to make the garden feel tropical. And I think since this is a tropical garden, you want to feel enveloped by the plants, so I think it should be thought of more as making a garden room, than a tropical bed. Feel free to break down shady and sunny locations? Anything else that might make such a guide useful?

[TimMAz6]

selection is difficult.......I would like to see these plants as the large specimens........

Trachy
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 97cb1d.jpg>

Tetrapanax
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 9e0680.jpg>

Yucca rostrata
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 0a91ae.jpg>

Yucca elata
<img src=http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x18/ ... 9b2a7b.jpg>

[dukeofdoom]

Those are great specimen plants. I think that Evergreen Magnolia should be there as well, the one in your picture looks beautiful.

Maybe the guide should differentiate by height of the plants. So something like

1. Large Trees (15 feet+)
2. Small trees, or Large Shrubs (<15 feet)
3. Mid size plants (<10 feet)
4. Vines
5. Ground covers
6. Flowers

This might be helpful in creating a wall of plants that seems to be characteristic of many tropical gardens.