Monday, May 05, 2014

Outdoor Decorating Made Easy with Tropic Escape Collection of Plants

Nothing says summer like beautiful hibiscus and mandevilla plants. These tropicals are among the easiest to grow and best for adding flair to decks, patios, balconies, and other outdoor spaces. And the Tropic Escape collection from Costa Farms represents some of the best varieties available.

“There are a lot of hibiscus to choose from,” says Justin Hancock, garden expert with Costa Farms. “We’ve ensured the Tropic Escape® collection represents the very best – from big beauties with flowers that can be more than 9 inches across to innovative dwarf selections that stay under 4 feet and have flowers that stay open for days longer than old-fashioned types so every outdoor space can be filled with tropical color.”

There are also premium mandevillas in the collection, which are great performers and easy-to-grow. “Old-fashioned mandevillas used to be lanky vines,” says Hancock, “New varieties in stunning red, pink or white come in bushy, mounding forms as well as trailing options." Tropic Escape mandevilla offer more versatility than ever before.

Decorating with Tropic Escape
Both types love hot, sunny spots in containers or in the ground. Being tropicals, they don’t mind when the mercury soars and humidity climbs. Hancock suggests using taller varieties of Tropic Escape hibiscus in containers as outdoor room dividers – to separate eating and lounging areas, for example, or to plant along a deck or patio edge as a small living wall.

Mounding mandevillas are ideal “filler plants” in larger containers with big focal points such as hibiscus, roses, and ornamental grasses. “Red mounding mandevillas are stunning with purple fountain grass or Knock Out roses,” says Hancock. Climbing mandevillas are excellent for softening a deck rail or creating a bold wall of color on a trellis or white picket fence.

Up the Impact with Tropic Escape
The right containers make hibiscus and mandevilla even bigger showpieces. “Yellow hibiscus practically jumps out of a glazed blue ceramic pot. And rich crimson mandevillas are all the more stunning in bronze- or copper-colored containers,” says Hancock.

He also recommends considering the space being decorated. A mounding red mandevilla makes a perfect centerpiece on a red-and-white checkered tablecloth; orange hibiscus varieties are elegant accents against a yellow house; and red hibiscus and mandevillas provide the ideal splash of color if against a white house.

There’s a Tropic Escape variety perfect for brightening every sunny outdoor space with bold, beautiful tropical color. Look for Tropic Escape hibiscus and mandevillas at mass merchandisers and home improvement centers across the U.S. and Canada.

Learn more about the Tropic Escape Collection here: http://www.costafarms.com.