Issue Date: December 19, 2004

Create an indoor tropical garden

You can have beauty and fragrance all year long. Here's how.

By Fran Sorin

Years ago I began acquiring tropical plants for my outdoor garden and found I had success with practically all of them, thanks to the hot, humid summers in the Philadelphia area. When colder weather came, I didn't want to lose them, so I took cuttings and brought them indoors. Thus a tropical indoor garden was born, and I've had the year-round pleasure of these aromatics ever since.

As long as the natural climatic requirements of these specimens are copied indoors, you, too, should have success. If you can't meet the sunlight needs of the plant, simply use grow lights or switch to a specimen that can thrive in partial shade. Also, be vigilant about checking for insects. I spray neem oil bimonthly on the plants' leaves (both the upper and the lower surfaces) to prevent infestation.

It's difficult to choose a favorite tropical plant, but it's simply glorious to have an angel's trumpet blooming in my kitchen as snow is falling outside.

Brugmansia. This large shrub is also known as angel's trumpet. It's grown for its very large, fragrant, pendulous trumpet flowers. These plants prefer a hot climate, and they thrive in a sunny site in light, fertile, well-drained soil. One of my favorite angel's trumpets is Brugmansia "Charles Grimaldi." At maturity, it reaches 6 feet in height, with large, aromatic, orangish-yellow flowers. It most often blooms from mid-fall through spring. Water well during the growing season.

Jasminum. Commonly known as jasmine, this genus consists of more than 200 fragrant shrubs and vines, largely from Asia and Africa. Jasmines can be used effectively indoors when planted in fertile, well-drained soil. My current favorite plant is Jasminum azoricum, a dense-growing vine that flowers profusely from spring through fall and intermittently in winter when grown in sunny, warm conditions. Jasminum azoricum consists of clusters of multi-petaled, pure-white blooms that emerge over several weeks. Its minimum temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and at maturity it is 3 feet tall.

Brunfelsia. This is a small shrub that comes from the woodlands of tropical North, Central and South America. It has magnificently fragrant flowers with a narrow tube that flares into five petals, whose colors change as the plant matures. These need well-drained, fertile soil and prefer full sun, but they can handle afternoon shade. When in growth, water freely and apply fertilizer every three to four weeks.

Brunfelsia does well in pots and should be pruned after flowering to keep it bushy. My favorite species is Brunfelsia isola. This plant has 2-inch flowers that emerge white, then age to bluish-lavender. Its evening fragrance fills up any room. At maturity it's 2 feet tall. It tolerates dryness well and can remain in the same pot for years.

Murraya. These citrus-related trees and shrubs, originally from Asia, have aromatic foliage and creamy white flowers. Murrayas do well in full or partial sun in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. Murraya paniculata, also known as orange jasmine, is my favorite; it's compact with white, waxy flowers. It's perfect for pots and is constantly in bloom.

Gardenia. Who isn't familiar with the intoxicating scent of the gardenia and its long-blooming flowers? This genus boasts more than 200 species of evergreen trees and shrubs from tropical Africa and Asia. Indoors, gardenias need an acidic potting mix, full or partial sun and a minimum temperature of 60 degrees. A perfect indoor specimen, "Belmont," produces large, cream-colored blooms most heavily in winter and into spring.

Fran Sorin last wrote for USA WEEKEND Magazine about easy Thanksgiving centerpieces. To receive her free newsletter, go to fransorin.com.