Tropical plants are showing up in the strangest places. Banana trees and exotic gingers have been seen growing in Chicago along Mayor Daley?EUR??,,????'???s ?EUR??,,????'??Miracle Mile?EUR??,,????'??? and elephant ears and philodendrons, once caged in conservatories, have escaped into the legislative annual beds of Washington D.C. With the miracle of micro propagation and the ease of transportation from the world famous plant farms of places like Florida, plants once only seen in the tropical areas of the world are now growing in temperate areas albeit if only as annuals. Perhaps it is the reminder of warm breezes and swaying palm trees that directs the plant palette to tropical foliage or perhaps the exotic colors and forms steer gardeners in the direction of warm season plants. Whatever the reason, tropical plants with their unique textures and mysterious fragrances have found their way north into temperate gardens. Bananas with flowers more than two feet in diameter are not unusual and gingers reaching fifteen feet in a single season are commonplace. In the past, homeowners with postage stamp yards or apartment dwellers with no yard at all were unable to grow many tropical plants due to the sheer size of the plants available on the market. Recently, however, smaller sized tropical plants with the same textures and forms as their full-size relatives are being grown in Florida and are available to gardeners and professionals relegated to growing plants in small spaces. Bananas are the perfect example of a group, which has several, downsized selections for the little or no space garden. The Dwarf Orinoca banana with its superb cold tolerance seldom reaches 5?EUR??,,????'??? tall and produces fruits, which can be eaten raw. Another highly ornamental, the ?EUR??,,????'??Dwarf Red?EUR??,,????'??? banana produces deep red bunches of fruit after the second year of growing in a container. The most dwarf of all commercially available bananas is the ?EUR??,,????'??Super Dwarf Cavendish?EUR??,,????'??? banana, which only grows to 3?EUR??,,????'??? in height. The plant is very symmetrical and compact and can produce fruit whether it is grown inside or out. Many Musa ornata selections such as ?EUR??,,????'??Bronze?EUR??,,????'???, ?EUR??,,????'??Standard Lavender?EUR??,,????'??? and ?EUR??,,????'??Royal Purple?EUR??,,????'??? only grow to five feet and the flower is upright rather than pendulous as in most bananas. Once very rare in the U.S. but now seen in nurseries in various growing zones is the Musella lasiocarpa or ?EUR??,,????'??Golden Lotus Banana.?EUR??,,????'?? Only discovered and collected in 1997 in Yunnan, China, this banana produces a golden artichoke-like flower, which only grows to 4 ?EUR??,,????'?? tall and can withstand temperatures into the teens. Elephant ears are the quintessential tropical plant to create the ?EUR??,,????'??tropical look?EUR??,,????'?? in any garden. Unfortunately for the gardener or landscape contractor with little space, until recently, elephant ears most often grew as very large plants (sometimes to 10?EUR??,,????'???) and required copious amounts of water and fertilizer. Many nursery growers in Florida are growing smaller selections of the larger species appropriate for small spaces and have introduced as a welcome byproduct curled edges, variegated leaves and brightly colored stems. Alocasia ?EUR??,,????'??Crinkles?EUR??,,????'??? produces bright green arrowhead-shaped leaves with a unique rumpled edge and grows only to 12?EUR??,,????'??. Colocasia ?EUR??,,????'??Polly?EUR??,,????'??? produces emerald green leaves with bold white veins on stems, which are only 10 ?EUR??,,????'??? 12?EUR??,,????'?? tall. Slightly larger but worth placing in a small landscape is Colocasia esculenta ?EUR??,,????'??Illustris?EUR??,,????'???. Its leaves are bright lime green and blotched with chocolate brown. Caltheas, better known for their ?EUR??,,????'??Praying Hands?EUR??,,????'?? relative Muranta, traditionally have been grown in large terrariums or glass conservatories. A number of colorful species and cultivars have made they way to conventional nurseries and gardens centers, many of which are perfect the small space garden. Of particular note is Calathea orbifolia with is nearly round (hence the name ?EUR??,,????'??orbifolia?EUR??,,????'??) green and silver striped foliage. The plant rarely reaches the 18?EUR??,,????'?? height and in beautiful contrast to the green/silver combination on the upper leaf surface, the undersurface is deep purple. Calathea corona has a similar leaf color rather than broad stripes, the leaf looks as though some took a paintbrush with silver paint and with one broad stroke painted the upper leaf surface. In addition, the leaves are tubular or curled in shape until they ultimately unfold, adding a unique texture and form the landscape. Calathea royalty is a delicate looking plant, though appearances can be deceiving. As with most Calathea, ?EUR??,,????'??Royalty?EUR??,,????'??? is very tough and has the added benefit of delightful tiny green flowers only one inch in diameter and on 4 inch stems. Calathea rufibarba has no silver markings as in many Calathea but the species makes up for its lack of color with its long lanceolate leaves to 12?EUR??,,????'?? long and 3 ?EUR??,,????'?? across and distinct ruffled edges. The individual leaf surfaces are dark emerald green and are contrasted with a dark purple, almost black, underside. Curcuma or hidden gingers are members of the ginger family and primarily grown in shady areas for the beautiful flowers. Foliage can range from 6?EUR??,,????'?? to 36?EUR??,,????'?? tall with varying degrees of green and occasional striping. The upright open pinecone flower, which blooms varying times spring through fall depending on the species, ranges in color from the purest white to deepest purple an even striped. The plant gets its common name from the fact that many species flower prior to their foliage emerging in the spring. Notable varieties or species include Curcuma ?EUR??,,????'??Garnet?EUR??,,????'??? (flowers 10?EUR??,,????'?? tall deep garnet with a touch of gold on each flower lip), C. ?EUR??,,????'??Raspberry?EUR??,,????'??? (rose pink flower to 12?EUR??,,????'?? tall and 18?EUR??,,????'?? medium green foliage and C. ?EUR??,,????'??White Angel?EUR??,,????'??? (cute little plant only 10?EUR??,,????'?? tall with pure white flowers on 3?EUR??,,????'?? stems). A striking species in the group is Curcuma alismatifolia commonly called Siam Tulip. Introduced by Stokes Tropicals of New Iberia, Louisiana (www.stokestropicals.com) the flower on first glance looks like a tulip on a tall 24?EUR??,,????'?? stem above 18?EUR??,,????'?? tall foliage. The flowers, depending on the selection are white, pink, Rose or deep red. Curcuma alismatifolia cultivars are perfect for full sun or partial shade and make a great cut flower. Another ginger family member, which has made a strong appearance in many garden centers and nurseries, is the Kaempferia and Cornukaempferia. These colorful plants are grown primarily for their green and silver striped or blotched blotched foliage and are the southern gardeners replacement for northern grown hosta. Deep to partial shade and dry or wet soil, ?EUR??,,????'??Peacock Gingers?EUR??,,????'?? are a perfect rich, leafy foliage groundcover for those hard to grow areas. Important cultivars include Kaempferia ?EUR??,,????'??Satin Checks?EUR??,,????'??? (to 6?EUR??,,????'?? tall with bright green leaves blotched in bronze), K. ?EUR??,,????'??Shazam?EUR??,,????'??? (to 8?EUR??,,????'?? tall with deep bronze leaves blotched with green accompanied by a four petaled lavender flower on 6?EUR??,,????'?? stems), K. ?EUR??,,????'??Mansonii?EUR??,,????'??? (to 8?EUR??,,????'?? tall unfolds with green and silver stripes later changing to deep green) and K. gilbertii ?EUR??,,????'??3-D?EUR??,,????'??? (to 6?EUR??,,????'?? tall lanceolate leaves with creamy yellow and green stripes). For collectors Kaempferia marginata is a must have. Their satiny deep green leaf are broader than long with deep rich burgundy picotee edge and only grows to 4?EUR??,,????'?? tall. Cornukaepferia ?EUR??,,????'??Jungle Gold?EUR??,,????'??? is a ginger relative very similar in appearance to regular Kaempferia but the coloration is much more vivid (silver and green above, purple below) and has a tiny one inch tall golden yellow flower at the base of the 8?EUR??,,????'?? foliage. When one thinks of Spathiphyllum or ?EUR??,,????'??Peace Lily,?EUR??,,????'?? visions of dark office lobbies and cubicles. Such environments are perfect for Spaths but placing them outdoors into the shady landscape can add to the tropical luxury of any landscape. One selection in particular Spathyphillum ?EUR??,,????'??Domino?EUR??,,????'??? patented by Milestone Agriculture in Apopka, Florida, is a superb plant fro growing outdoors. Often grown in shady areas down to 25 degrees F without significant damage, Domino?EUR??,,????'???s bright green and white variegation is a perfect addition to any outdoor landscape. Alpinia is a large group of ginger relatives with both large and small species and selections perfectly suited for deep to partial shade locations. The leaves are often fragrant and nearly all display massive clusters of pastel-colored flowers. Most all make good container grown plants. Many are used in the cut flower industry. Alpinia zerumbet variegated can grow to 6?EUR??,,????'??? tall in southern climates but rarely reaches 3?EUR??,,????'??? in northern areas where they need to be grown in pots. The foliage is striped in creamy yellow and bright green and the flowers are pink with a gold/burgundy striping inside. Alpinia pumila is an unusual ginger selection, which only grows to 3?EUR??,,????'?? tall. The leaves are dark green and create a perfect groundcover mass in a single season. Finally, a discussion of small plants for small spaces would not be complete without mentioning Zingiber. Zingiber ?EUR??,,????'??Midnight?EUR??,,????'??? is a special favorite for the small garden, growing to only 24?EUR??,,????'??. The long lanceolate leaves are almost black which contrast the basal cones, which appear deep golden yellow and later changing to bright pink. Another notable Zingiber is Z. mioga variegated. The long pointed leaves of this edible are green and white variegated and grow in part shade. A great variety for growing in containers. The standard Zingiber mioga is very hardy in cold climates. Harry P. Leu Gardens, a botanical garden operated by the City of Orlando, has recently planted a Tropical Stream Garden for the primary purpose of determining cold hardiness of hundreds of tropical plants suitable for the home landscape. The new garden, adjacent to a fast flowing recirculated stream, was planted with tropical plants or ?EUR??,,????'??tropical looking?EUR??,,????'?? plants that withstand a little cold weather. The goal was to create an evaluative research collection of plants in a landscaped garden. Consumers, design/build companies and greenhouse growers are very interested in creating the popular ?EUR??,,????'??tropical look?EUR??,,????'?? but aren?EUR??,,????'???t familiar with the plant material. Leu Gardens has hundreds of plants on display that are well labeled with both common and scientific name for everyone to see. Leu Gardens in Orlando is open every day (except Christmas) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For additional information on the Gardens and its collections see leugardens.org on the Internet or call (407) 246-2620. Robert E. Bowden is executive director of the Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando, FL, and was the former Executive Director of the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Director of Horticulture of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. His photographs and essays have appeared in many books and magazines and most recently he has appeared on many nationally syndicated television programs including PBS?EUR??,,????'??? Victory Garden, HGTV?EUR??,,????'???s Rebecca?EUR??,,????'???s Garden and Way to Grow and on the Discovery Channel?EUR??,,????'???s Home Matters. He travels extensively in the U.S. and Caribbean giving presentations to schools and universities, garden clubs and professional organizations on general gardening, herbaceous perennials, tropical and sub-tropical plants, and on flowering vines, trees and shrubs.