Alan’s pick for a tropical look

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Tree fern Dicksonia antarctica likes damp shade. Grow under trees, and in dry areas rig up a timed overhead spray line to give them half an hour of ‘rain’ every evening. Lag crowns in winter.

Height x Spread 6m x 4m

Hardy to 1°C

Fastia As tough as old boots yet gives a tropical touch. Try this variegated variety ‘Spider’s Web’ to bring a lighter, brighter touch to a dull, shady corner of the garden. HxS 2.5m x 2.5m Hardy to -10°C

Ginger lily These lilies are of varying hardiness but Hedychium gardnerianum will get through most winters if mulched well in autumn, once the stems have been chopped off at ground level. HxS 1.5m x 1m Hardy to 1°C

Canna Best dug up in autumn, chopped down and the rootstock overwintered in a frost-free greenhouse, but can be mulched and left outdoors in mild winters. HxS 2m x 90cm Hardy to 1°C

Banana Don’t expect much in the way of fruit but enjoy the great saillike leaves which need shelter from the wind to avoid becoming tatty. Choose your variety carefully if you want to leave it out in winter. Musa basjoo is one of the most reliable. HxS 5m x 4m Hardy to 5°C

Windmill palm Trachycarpus fortunei has fan-shaped leaves and is tougher than it looks. It will survive outdoors in all but the coldest and most exposed gardens. Grow it in a large tub and it will still be happy. HxS 20m x 2.5m Hardy to -10°C

Chinese rice-paper plant Tetrapanax ‘Rex’ has massive, pawpaw-shaped leaves carried atop towering stems. Lag the stems in winter after leaf fall. In milder spots it can survive without protection. HxS 6m x 3m Hardy to -5°C

Hibiscus Outside Mediterranean climes, the large-bloomed Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has to be cut down and brought inside in winter. Or save bother and grow this hardy, smallflowered Hibiscus sinosyriacus. HxS 3m x 2m Hardy to -10°