Choose the right plants and décor to make your own staycation paradise
Vacations soothe the soul. Leaving the stress of work behind for a week of rest and relaxation makes everyone more productive.
But do you know that vacations can improve your health? In a June 2019 study published in Psychology and Health, researchers found that vacations lead to reduced blood pressure and increased energy levels.
But here’s the thing: the health benefits increased for people who enjoyed a staycation. It’s easy to understand why.
Overcrowded airports, canceled flights, and maxed-out credit cards can add more stress than pleasure to a vacation. Instead, you can create a beautiful and relaxing tropical staycation spot right in your own backyard. Not only will you enjoy it during your vacation days, but every summer weekend and evening after 5 p.m. allows you to savor your staycation retreat.
With just a portion of your vacation budget, you can craft a stunning, tropical retreat that will bring you joy for years to come.
Some tips for achieving the atmosphere of your favorite resort include:
- Select the ideal plants to cultivate a lush and inviting tropical atmosphere.
- Incorporate a water feature.
- Enhance the ambiance with carefully-chosen lighting.
- Position a cozy lounge chair or hammock for leisurely sunbathing and napping.
- Enjoy a refreshing snack or drink made with homegrown ingredients.
Enjoy the soothing sound of water
While an in-ground pool makes a great escape from summer’s heat, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to relish the soothing sounds of water splashing in your staycation retreat. Instead, create a pond or add a fountain to your backyard.
You’ll love the vacation vibes of trickling water, while local wildlife will appreciate a place to visit for a sip or splash to cool off. If you love bird watching, get your camera ready — you’ll capture great images of birds bathing in your new water feature.
Even small spaces can benefit from the addition of a water feature. Create a small pond using a container from your local garden center. Choose a style without drainage holes or pick one that offers a plug to keep water from draining.
Place small rocks to vary the pond depth. Make a shallow area on one side for bees and butterflies to rest for a drink. Add aquatic plants, like a dwarf water lily, water hyacinth, corkscrew rush or pitcher plants to the mini-pond.
If you’re looking to prevent your pond from becoming overrun with bacteria and mosquitoes, it’s wise to consider investing in a filter and air pump. For mini ponds, a small, solar-powered aerator can be a great option, particularly if you plan on adding some small goldfish.
If you decide to skip the filter or aerator, it’s important to make sure that at least 60% of the container is filled with aquatic plants to promote a healthy pond environment.
Create lush, multi-layered plantings
When you think about your favorite tropical oasis, lush, layered gardens filled with bananas, elephant ears and exotic flowers probably come to mind. Amaryllis blooms in summer, tropical hibiscus used as flowering hedges, and orchids clinging to trees create beautiful backdrops.
It might seem daunting to recreate a tropical garden in your backyard, but you’ll find dozens of plants to give your outdoor space a vibrant look.
And, if you garden in cooler climates and think tender tropical plants won’t work in your zone, consider planting them in pots that can be moved indoors for winter protection. Plants with stunning foliage and flowers can be hardier than they look.
Hardy hibiscus
Hardy hibiscus adds a splash of tropical flair to your perennial garden. Fast-growing and fabulous, these plants explode with pinwheel-like flowers the size of dinner plates in late summer. Often confused with their tropical cousins, these plants can survive temps as low as -30° F (-34° C).
Take, for instance, Hibiscus ‘Edge of Night’ PP34359 CPBRAF. This compact perennial with huge, 7-to-8-inch bubblegum pink blooms and jet-black foliage is hardy to zone 4. The stunning flowers add a perfect tropical look for gardens in both warm and cool zones.
Canna
Along with hardy hibiscus, canna makes a gorgeous perennial addition to staycation garden spaces. While colder zones may need to protect the rhizomes in winter, it’s worth the effort. As cannas provide bold, upright foliage and stunning blooms beloved by hummingbirds and butterflies.
Canna South Pacific Orange F1 adds brightness to garden spaces, with beautiful orange blooms that sparkle against lush, green foliage. This compact plant reaches 2 feet tall, making a great addition to containers, as well as the landscape.
Agapanthus
For a perfect pop of purple in your tropical garden, Ever Amethyst™ Agapanthus provides gorgeous, reblooming spikes of flowers that attract pollinators. The semi-dwarf habit makes an ideal addition to smaller gardens and containers.
Plus, this beauty not only blooms early and continues all summer long, but it’s also drought-tolerant once established. Hardy to zone 8a.
Tropical hibiscus
Which plant always makes you think of the tropics? If the big, brilliant blooms of hibiscus remind you of your favorite retreat, you’ll adore the vacation vibes of the beauties in the Jazzy Jewel® line. Unlike hardy hibiscus, tropical hibiscus needs protection from winter temperatures.
Most gardeners in cooler zones grow them as annuals. But you can plant them in containers, bring them inside to overwinter and place them back outside after the danger of frost has passed in the spring.
Mandevilla
Pair pretty hibiscus with beautifully vining mandevilla to add height to garden spaces. The trumpet-shaped blooms attract hummingbirds — and who doesn’t love watching these acrobatic charmers hover and zip around the backyard?
For a traditional tall vine that looks fabulous climbing a fence, trellis or arbor, try Sunvilla™ Red Mandevilla. The vine sports rich, red blooms with a yellow throat and dark green, glossy foliage. The slow-to-fade flowers keep the garden looking fabulous all summer.
Other new introductions offer bushier, more compact plants ideal for containers and small space gardens. These varieties include Mandevilla Madinia® Elegant Velvet Red and Madinia® Maximo Scarlet. Both plants grow only 12 to 18 inches tall with minimal vining. These varieties provide a bushier habit with excellent disease resistance and drought tolerance for fabulous flowering all summer.
For a bright burst of color, plant Mandevilla Sun Parasol® Original Sunbeam. Sunbeam sports buttery yellow blooms with darker throats. Growing 18 to 24 inches tall, it’s the perfect addition to containers or hanging baskets.
Bougainvillea
Have you ever enjoyed dining under the towering vines of bougainvillea, with the showy bracts floating down like confetti? It adds a bit of magic to tropical vacations.
This tender vine makes a gorgeous addition to arbors, fences, and tall trellises — wherever you’d love soaring color and texture. Try Burgundy Queen® Bougainvillea, a colorful climber with dark burgundy leaves emerging with each new flush of growth.
Fuchsia
For gorgeous color and form, fuchsia adds a perfect pop of tropical interest to your staycation space. Use fuchsia plants in containers and hanging baskets to show off their intricate, beautiful blooms.
Plant new Bella Fuchsia® Mariska and Fuchsia Aretes Upright Arroyo Grande in hanging baskets or containers, so you can watch pollinators enjoy the blooms.
Lantana
To draw even more pollinators to your tropical hideaway, add lantana to your garden. Lantana do best in full sun and well-drained soil. They love the heat and like to be kept on the drier side. They definitely will make a gorgeous splash of color in many sunny spaces.
Some varieties grow quite large, but if you garden in a smaller space or want a variety to plant in a container, try Hot Blooded® Red Lantana. A mounding form reaching only 15 to 18 inches tall, you’ll love the deep red, sterile blooms that cover the plant all season long — and so will the hummingbirds!
Begonia
Heady fragrance filling a garden makes a backyard feel like a tropical retreat, and the gorgeous blooms of Begonia I’CONIA Scentiment Peachy Keen transports you to your favorite vacation destination. Use the pretty bi-colored citrusy-orange and sunny-yellow flowers in hanging baskets or containers to brighten a partly shady space.
The plants will flower nonstop from spring through autumn. These begonias can tolerate sun or shade but are happiest with bright morning light and a bit of afternoon shade.
Relax in a hammock
While away your vacation days by lounging in a hammock on your tropical staycation. Most hammocks are budget-friendly and easy to install, making them a perfect addition to your tropical oasis.
Add ambiance with lights
There’s something magical about a garden at night, especially when it’s lit like a party. Inexpensive string lights make a backyard instantly feel festive. These twinkly lights provide a perfect bit of glow while you enjoy dinner or cocktails in your retreat.
If you really want to create a resort-like look in your backyard, consider landscape lighting to highlight your new tropical beauties. Uplighting a banana or spotlighting tropical hibiscus adds drama to your evening retreat. You’ll love spending time chatting the night away as the shadows play in your oasis.