Welcome, Guest ( Login )

Tropical Plants

These heat loving summer flowering beauties are sure to bring the color of the tropics to your garden and patio. We have a huge selection of beautiful, unusual, exotic, as well as rare tropical and subtropical plants for gardens, containers, and greenhouses.
 

2022 Missouri Botanic Garden Plants of Merit selection! One of the most amazingly blue colored flowers in the plant world! This small growing but vigorous annual or tender perennial vine produces loads of brilliant deep blue flowers with recurving and overlapping petals with a white to creamy yellow throat. It can be successfully overwintered but it's easier just to save a few seeds to plant in spring. Caterpillar host: Longtail Skipper. Item# 9114

Blue dye can be extracted from the blossoms!!

Grows To: 6-10'H x 3-5'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$12.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Blue Porterweed

Stachytarpheta cayennensis, S. indica  

Deep indigo 1/4" blooms adorn the long spike-like bloom stems from spring to frost above the rich green glossy foliage. Blue Porterweed is an intermediate growing Porterweed and has a fairly dense upright habit. An excellent choice for butterfly gardens or in containers. Also known as Blue Snakeweed, Verbena Azul, Cayenne Snakeweed. Item# 330.

Grows To: 3-4'H x 2-3'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$9.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Light blue to blue-purple 1/4" wide nectar-rich flowers adorn the tall narrow indeterminate flower spikes from spring to frost to year round under warm tropical conditions. Native to Florida and much of the tropical Americas, Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, has smoother lighter green foliage and generally grows wider than tall whereas the other Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis or S. urticifolia, has more rugose or quilted deeper green glossier foliage with a typically upright habit. Porterweeds are excellent pollinator plants where they attract a continuous menagerie of aerial acrobats from spring until frost. This a heat and sunloving tropical to tender perennial that can be added to gardens and landscapes or plant them in containers to draw the pollinators in for upclose viewing. Blue Porterweed is also a caterpillar host plant for the Tropical Buckeye butterfly. Item# 12046

Grows To: 12-18"H x 18-30"W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$12.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Clusters and chains of large 3" wide purple-blue trumpet shaped flowers with contrasting yellow throats are produced throughout much of the growing season and attract larger bees and butterflies as well as the occassional hummingbird. The Blue Sky Vine, Thunbergia grandiflora, is an exceptionally popular tropical vine that is easy, reliable, has excellent flower power and it can be grown as a die-back perennial in zones 8-9 if established early in the growing season (click the "More Details and Growing Info" link or the plant's image to learn more). It may remain evergreen in warm frost free tropical climates where it can flower nearly yearround. The Blue Sky Vine is a heat and sunloving twining vine suitable for metal fences, smaller arbors, and medium to large trellises or other sturdy supports. Provide a well-drained, moderately fertile soil. The Blue Sky Vine can also be enjoyed as an easy and low-maintenance container plant. Item# 1108.

Grows To: 15'-30'H
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 10
US$14.99

Blue Witches Hat, Hedgehog Sage

Pycnostachys urticifolia  

Dense broadly conical 3-4" high spikes of intense sapphire blue tubular flowers open from the bottom upwards with the first flowers to open creating the broad brim of the witches hat. Blue Witches Hat, or Hedgehog Sage, begins flowering in autumn and in areas where it is protected from frosts it can flower throughout winter and into spring. It is a medium to short day flowering plant. This tropical South African member of the mint family can develop into a shrub where winters are freeze and frost free reaching up to 8' high, 3-4' high in a container is more typical. Item# 11750

Grows To: 3-4'H x 2-3'W and larger in tropical climates
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$14.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Blue Yonder Lily of the Nile, Agapanthus

Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder'  

An exceptionally cold hardy and repeat flowering selection, Blue Yonder Lily of the Nile produces deep cobalt blue, trumpet shaped, nectar rich flowers in large rounded clusters beginning in early spring and continuing until the first frost on established plants. Considered reliably cold hardy into zone 5, this easy to grow perennial produces medium green strap-like foliage with the flowers towering above on sturdy stems. Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Provide a well-drained soil for the best results. Blue Yonder Agapanthus makes a low maintenance clump forming perennial for the garden, landscape, and container gardens. Item# 11281

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 6,7,8,9,10,11,(5*)
Grows To: 24-36"H x 18-24"W, space at 12-18"
Outdoor Light: AM sun, Part sun, Part shade, Light shade, **Full sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$14.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

The widely flaring deep blue-purple fan shaped flowers open from tubular buds, and are very reminiscent of Scaevola or Half-Flower, open singly and in clusters held at the growing tips as well as in the leaf axils attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The 5-lobed flowers of Blue-Lips, Sclerochiton harveyanus, are produced most heavily throughout the warmer months of the year. This is a shade tolerant naturally spreading to scandent (vine-like) evergreen tropical shrub with rounded, glossy deep green foliage. Blue-Lips is considered to be frost resistant but not freeze tolerant and it is easily maintained as a shrub form for containers, including hanging baskets, in and around larger growing shade-loving tropicals in the garden as well as on a shaded porch or patio. Provide it with an average moist, acidic to neutral, well-drained soil in a site that receives at least some cool morning sunlight or filtered sunlight for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12268

Grows To: 2-6'H x 3-6'W
Outdoor Light: AM sun, Part shade, Part sun, Filtered shade, Light shade
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 39
US$17.99

Bolo Bolo, Clappertonia

Clappertonia ficifolia  

The Bolo Bolo has 2-3" wide fuchsia flowers that are centered with a boss of yellow staminodes that sit above the vertical stems in small clusters. The Bolo Bolo may flower throughout the year under warm lush conditions. This African tropical naturally develops into a multi-stemmed shrub with an upright to spreading growth habit. The somewhat fig-like bronze tinged leaves and hairy stems add to its interest along with the unusual bristly seed pods. Easy to grow in full to mostly sunny wet to average moist soils. Item# 11274

Grows To: 6-9'H x 3-5'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$14.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

The narrow deep green to bluish-green foliage is adorned with broad creamy white vareiegation down the center of each recurving leaf. In typical Airplane Plant fashion, Bonnie produces a multitude of miniature plantlets along creamy white arching stems eventually developing into a dense mass of foliage that is perfectly suited for small to medium-sized hanging baskets and containers. It will do best where it receives bright indirect sunlight in an average moist, fertile soil. We have long been in love with this cultivar not only for the name it shares with our mother but also for its neat dense and unusual habit. Easy and carefree and perfectly suited for shaded porches, patios, atriums, and gardens or enjoy it indoors with bright to medium indirect sunlight. In warm tropical climates Airplane Plants may be utilized as shady groundcovers. Item# 12461

Grows To: 8-14"H x 12-18"W
Outdoor Light: Bright shade, Filtered shade, Light shade, Shade

A nearly non-stop procession of blue-purple, neat button-shaped, fuzzy flowers about 1" across are produced throughout the warmer months of the year and potentially year round under warm tropical conditions. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators and beneficial insects but seems to be most attractive to bees both large and small. The Brazilian Blue Buttonbush, Centratherum punctatum, is a heat and sunloving, naturally evergreen tropical with excellent flower power. It develops into a bushy mound adorned with medium green pineapply fragrant foliage to about 18"H and 24-36" wide. It makes an easy and long-flowering addition to any sunny garden or landscape and even as an informal groundcover. In containers, utilize this easy to enjoy plant as a filler, spiller, or specimen plant. Provide a full sun to partly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 324

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 9B,10,11,(9A?,8B?)
Grows To: 12-18''H x 24-36''W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$9.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Brazilian Candles, Many Flowers, Red Pavonia

Pavonia multiflora, P. gledhillii, P. intermedia  

Unusual fuchsia colored flowers with exerted purple stamens and pistil are produced throughout the year attracting hummingbirds along with occasional butterflies. Brazilian Candles, Pavonia multiflora, is an exceptionally free flowering, naturally evergreen tropical shrub with an upright to vase shaped growth habit and glossy dark green textured foliage. Provide a well-drained, average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. This rare tropical shrub is sure to be a conversation piece! Item # 544

Grows To: 4-6'H x 2-3'W
Outdoor Light: AM sun, Part shade, Light shade
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 11
US$19.99

Brazilian Firecracker Vine, Candy Corn Vine

Manettia luteorubra, M. inflata, M. bicolor  

The Brazilian Firecracker Vine produces a profusion of red-orange, yellow-tipped tubular flowers throughout the year on this dainty tropical twining vine. This is an easy to grow vine that is small enough for hanging baskets, small trellises or fences. Provide a moderately fertile, well-drained soil and a full to mostly sunny location for the best results. Attracts hummingbirds. Item# 335

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 9B,10,11,(9A? with protection)
Grows To: 3-8'H(-12'H)
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 50
US$14.99

Brazilian Fuchsia, Firecracker Flower, Spanish Flag

Justicia floribunda, J. rizzini, Jacobinia pauciflora  

The 1" long, showy tubular flowers are red to red-orange at their base and quickly fade into bright sunny yellow and are held against a foil of dainty, glossy dark green foliage. The flowers are produced heaviest in fall and spring with intermittent flowers in between. The Brazilian Fuchsia or Firecracker Flower, Justicia rizzinii or now J. floribunda, is a naturally evergreen, small tropical shrub typically growing to up to 2-3' high and potentially as wide. It can be enjoyed as an indoor plant where it is sure to provide a little cheer during the cold dreary winter days in a warm sunny window. The flowers of the Brazilian Fuchsia attract hummingbirds and other pollinators in fall and spring as they migrate through when grown outdoors. Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Utilize it as a porch or patio plant during the warmer months or in the ground in areas with mild, generally frost free winters like in zone 10 as it is reported to be hardy to brief dips to about 28oF. Tolerant of full sun to light shade and provide an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Item# 12807

Grows To: 2-3'H x 2-3'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun, Filtered shade, Light shade
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$12.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Clusters of sunny yellow orchid-like flowers are borne in summer and into fall to yearround under warm tropical conditions on this vigorous twining vine. The Brazilian Golden Orchid Vine, Stigmaphyllon ciliatum, is a naturally evergreen woody twining climbing with dark green arrowhead shaped foliage that has a heart-shaped, or cordate, leaf base and fine bristles along their edges as well as along the sepals. It is not quite as cold hardy as the Yellow Butterfly Vine, Mascagnia macroptera, with which it is easily confused but it has larger flowers. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Where not hardy it is easily overwintered indoors in a warm sunny location. Provide a well-drained, moderately fertile, acid soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12001

Grows To: 12-20'H
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$14.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Bridal Bouquet Plumeria

Plumeria pudica 'Bridal Bouquet'  

An unusually free-blooming white flowered plumeria, producing a succession of the 1 1/2" white flowers with a yellow eye are born throughout the warmer months. Unusual spatula shaped, shiny, deep green foliage on an upright plant. A great patio plant. Item # 788

Grows To: 6-10'H x 4-6'W in containers, 15-30'H and wide in tropical climates
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun

The Buddha's Belly Bush or Gout Plant produces long lasting clusters of bright reddish orange flowers that open a few at a time on sturdy stems held well above the large tri-lobed, rounded tropical foliage. The base of the plant develops into a swollen caudex providing the Buddha's belly. These are easily grown and rewarding plants that flower throughout the warmer months and will often flower sporadically through winter on established plants. Its drought tolerance lends it to a well-drained soil and is an excellent choice for the porch, patio, or even indoors. Item # 339.

Grows To: 3-5'H x 2'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Part sun, Part shade, Light shade
2.25 inch Pots / 9.7 fl.oz. / 287 ml
Currently In Stock: 2
US$19.99

Butterball Triple Yellow Tropical Hibiscus

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Butterball'  

The multitude of bright golden-yellow petals create a rounded, 3-4'', peony-like flower that seems to glow against the foil of deep green foliage. The Butterball Hibiscus (a.k.a. Triple Yellow) Hibiscus has a vigorous bushy upright to spreading habit and flowers throughout much of the year when grown under warm tropical conditions. Provide a mostly sunny to part shade position in a well-drained fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Catepillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 1052

Grows To: 3-6'H x 2-5'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Part sun, Part shade, Light shade
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$19.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready
Cannot Ship To: OR

Large clusters of 2" long creamy white tubular flowers are produced throughout the warmer months and potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions. Buttercream Icing Iochroma, an Almost Eden selection and exclusive introduction, develops into an upright to spreading, exceptionally free-flowering, naturally evergreen, shrub-like tropical that can easily be maintained in medium-sized containers or add it to the garden and landscape in tropical climates. Provide a full sun to part shade site in a fertile, well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. In hot summer climates midday or afternoon shade may be beneficial. The flowers of Iochromas attract hummingbirds and the occasional long-tongued bee. Easy and rewarding and sure to add a tropical flair to any garden and landscape. Item# 12673

Grows To: 4-8'H x 2-4'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, AM sun, Part shade, Part sun

The tall spikes of deep golden yellow 1"+ wide flowers emerge from dark, near black buds and calyxes atop the tropical looking, up to 18" long, pinnately compound foliage composed of fragrant, deep olive green, rounded leaflets. The flowers may be produced throughout the warmer months of the year attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Buttered Popcorn Cassia, Senna didymobotrya, is a heat and sunloving, loosely branching, tropical shrub typically growing to 6-8' high, potentially larger in warmer climates with longer growing seasons and generally shorter, 4-6'H, in cooler summer climates. Gently rub the rounded slightly fuzzy leaflets and they will emit a fragrance similar to buttered popcorn to peanut butter depending on your nose which is certainly a good conversation starter especially for the younger generations. The Buttered Popcorn Cassia adds a splash of summerlong color and a tropical feel to any sunny setting. Provide a well-drained, fertile soil, in full to mostly sunny conditions for optimum vigor and flowering. Caterpillar host: Ceraunus Blue, Barred Yellow, Mexican Yellow, Sleepy Orange, and Cloudless Sulphur. Item# 9018

Grows To: 6-10'H x 3-8'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny

Butterfly Amaryllis

Hippeastrum papilio, Amaryllis papilio  

Each petal of the Butterfly Amaryllis is heavily veined in burgundy and has large splotches of burgundy toward the center of the largest petals. The flowers have a narrow display and are born in small clusters atop sturdy stems in late winter and early spring. A rare and endangered species of tropical Amaryllis that makes an easy container plant. One 2-1/2 to 3" diameter flowering size bulb per container. Item# 10495.

Grows To: 18-24"H x 12-18"W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$14.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

The 3" wide, widely flaring flowers are a creamy white delicately marked with an abundance of maroon. The typical Dutchman's Pipe shaped flowers have a dark burgundy eye with a creamy yellow throat. The Calico Flower is an easily grown, twining, generally evergreen tropical vine whose unusual summer flowers are sure to attract attention. Caterpillar Host: Pipevine Swallowtail and Polydamas Swallowtail. Item# 10483.

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 9,10,11,(8B? with protection)
Grows To: 10-15'H x 3-6'
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$14.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Calisto Orchid Cactus, epiphyllum

Epiphyllum 'Calisto'  

Super big 9"+ white and yellow blooms, with a white and green throat. An easily grown cactus-like plant with 1.5" wide, flat, scalloped branches to 8'. Great in hanging baskets. Item# 9469.

Grows To: 3'H x 5'W
Outdoor Light: AM sun, Part shade, Light shade
2.25 inch Pot / 9.7 fl.oz. / 287 ml
Currently In Stock: 5
US$12.99

Calisto Orchid Cactus, Epiphyllum

Epiphyllum 'Calisto'  

Super big 9"+ white and yellow blooms, with a white and green throat. An easily grown cactus-like plant with 1.5" wide, flat, scalloped branches to 8'. Great in hanging baskets. Item# 1071.

Grows To: 3'H x 5'W
Outdoor Light: AM sun, Part shade, Light shade
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$17.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Cascade Earth Star, Cryptanthus

Cryptanthus 'Cascade'  

Red-tinge green arching foliage is borne in low, tight rosettes. The offsets of this variety cascade on arching stems from the mother plants creating a great hanging basket or allow it to spill from mixed container gardens. Easy to grow. Item# 2278.

Grows To: 3-6''H and trailing to 12-18''
Outdoor Light: Light shade, Early AM sun
4.5 inch Pot / 20 fl.oz. / 591 ml
Currently In Stock: 5
US$14.99

Cannot Ship To: HI

2022 Missouri Botanic Garden Plants of Merit selection! One of the most amazingly blue colored flowers in the plant world! This small growing but vigorous annual or tender perennial vine produces loads of brilliant deep blue flowers with recurving and overlapping petals with a white to creamy yellow throat. It can be successfully overwintered but it's easier just to save a few seeds to plant in spring. Caterpillar host: Longtail Skipper. Item# 9114

Blue dye can be extracted from the blossoms!!

Grows To: 6-10'H x 3-5'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Mostly sunny, Part shade, Part sun
3.5 inch Pot / 16 fl.oz. / 473 ml
Currently In Stock: 0
US$12.99
Temporarily Out of Stock
Or
Quantity Exceeds Stock Level

Email Me When Ready

Mini Cart

Your Cart Is Empty

Top Sellers

We Securely Accept

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z