Calatheas and costus are the plants that fill a tropical garden. Palms and heliconias give you structure and height. These give you the filler underneath.
Calatheas are native to the tropical Americas and related to heliconias and gingers. Most people know them as houseplants, grown for their patterned leaves. They’re also excellent landscaping plants, and they do well in large pots in a courtyard.
Most prefer part shade, warmth and humidity. Some, like Calathea lutea, grow large and take a fair bit of sun — useful for creating a microclimate for everything beneath them. Shelter them from strong wind, keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and mulch well.
We’ve concentrated our selection on the ones we think work best for tropical landscaping. You’ll also find a few of their cousins, the ctenanthes.
Many calatheas flower, and those flowers bring in native stingless bees, hoverflies and other small pollinators — worth knowing if you’re planting for wildlife.
Costus are related to gingers and heliconias, and come from Africa, the Americas and Australia. They vary enormously. Some flower from the top of the stem, some from the base, some from both. There are hairy ones and pretty ones, full sun and part shade ones. A few are cold tolerant enough to grow in England; others want real warmth.
When in doubt, give them part shade and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. We think they’re badly underused as landscaping plants.