Planting a Tiki Garden
The concept of a tiki garden conjures up images of Polynesia and Hawaii in the South Pacific. You may have even been to restaurants based on the South Pacific island theme. The Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is just one of many restaurants across the United States based on such a theme. Sitting next to exotic plants and a waterfall can be quite tranquil whether it is indoors or outdoors. You can create the following garden outside, if you live in a climate that permits tropical and other exotic plants outside; if you live in a colder climate and you have a sun room, then you can adapt this space to a tiki garden.
The major elements of the tiki garden in this article are: tiki figures, a waterfall of some kind, palm trees, orchid plants, hibiscus, birds of paradise, and any other exotic plant that reflects the vibrant jewel tone colors of the South Pacific islands.
If you already have palm trees in your backyard as some states do (California, Florida, Arizona, for example) you can add the other elements to the area where you want to make your garden. You do not need to have many tiki statues; you can have only one, if you wish, or two. The average height for a tiki is about 20″ high but they do come larger but the larger ones are more expensive; it depends how much you want to spend on creating your tiki garden. Flowering bushes and plants such as heliconia, Tropical hibiscus, and bird of paradise can be arranged around the palm trees. A description of these plants follows:
Heliconia, also referred to as lobster claw flowers, get the name due to the somewhat lobster claw shape of the flower on the plant. The flower colors range from yellow to orange. Heliconia will attract hummingbirds to your garden. This plant can grow from 5 feet to 20 feet in height so when you look for heliconia plants, you can choose which variety you want for your garden, if you want your garden to have tall bushes or medium bushes. Heliconia rhizomes like well drained soil with moderate watering but don’t over-water the plant; allow it to dry between waterings.
Tropical hibiscus plants come in a wide array of beautiful colors. The flowers themselves look like big, open round floppy leaves with the center part of each blossom in yellow. Hibiscus requires approximately 12 hours of direct sunlight a day to fully grow and blossom. If you live in a tropical climate in the United States, like southern California, Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, then your tropical hibiscus will love living outdoors where winters are very mild, as the flowers require tropical weather in order to thrive. As with the heliconia, do not over-water the plants.
Bird of paradise is so named for the blue petals shaped like a bird’s head with bright yellow or orange points growing on top of the “head.” The roots of this plant can be watered before it is planted in the ground. The bird of paradise plant likes well drained soil. If needed, mulch can be placed at the base of the plant as it grows. The plant grows an average of five feet high.
Orchids come in many different varieties and colors. Try several different varieties in your tiki garden. Orchids.com gives a list of the many varieties available including the colors. Orchids, while found all over the planet, including wild orchids that grow low close to the ground, are probably more commonly associated with the tropics and the beautiful colors they come in. Tropical orchids require a fungus in order to develop from seeds. Of course, orchid plants can be purchased in pots, too, which is an easier method of growing them in your tiki garden.
With these plants as well as any other that appeal to you when you shop at your local nursery, these can be placed random in your garden area. You can place the tikis in small little hidden areas where the bright, colorful flowers can flank the statue. A small waterfall or fountain in the garden can give it a really exotic feel. Another alternative is a koi pond. For furniture, try bamboo furniture and torches to light up your picnic area whenever you want to hold a luau.
For an indoors garden, many of these tropical plants listed grow well in large pots, if you live in a colder climate but have a sun room. You can also have the option of hanging smaller exotic plants from pot holders suspended on chains. Place the tikis by the windows of the sun room near an indoor fountain, if you have one. Even a small table top waterfall can add to the exotic feeling of the garden. As with an outdoor tiki garden, you can have inside luaus, maintaining your garden as a place of tranquil peace and relaxation.
Image Credit: Florida Division of Tourism/State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, Wikimedia Commons.
