I love the tropics. Central America and Southeast Asia are my favorite areas to travel. Since I don’t live there, I wanted to create a taste of the tropics here at my home. I began researching what plants would grow in my climate zone and found there were quite a few that can survive our winter temperatures.
While each region of the country has unique growing conditions, New México presents some special challenges. Most people assume we are hot and dry, which is true for much of the year. However, we can get quite cold during the winter especially at night during the winter months of December and January. New México ranges from warm desert at the lowest point, 2,844 ft, in the Chihuahuan Desert near Carlsbad to cold alpine tundra at the highest point, 13,167 ft., on Wheeler Peak creating a wide variation in climate in the state.
My garden is located in a fairly warm location in the center of Albuquerque and is somewhere between USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7b and 8a. What this means is that our lowest temperatures are usually between 5 and 15 degrees F. during the winter. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is “BSk”. (Tropical and Subtropical Steppe Climate). So while we do have cold temperatures and some snow most years, we are still a much milder climate than found in the northern states.
The main challenge is aridity. Our humidity is extremely low, even into the single digits at times. The air is not only dry but our soils are low in organic matter. I am lucky in that the soil in my backyard is in very good condition. It is loamy with very little clay or sand and drains well. I didn’t have to do any soil prep as a result.
Our desert sun can fry plants in no time. We have to question full sun on labels when we plant as often they cannot take full sun in New México. The area I chose to plant my subtropical garden in is shaded by two very large mulberry trees. They provide filtered sun and shade in which the plants have thrived. .
The filtered shade and good soil help with conserving moisture as these plants like a relatively moist soil at all times. The key to the success of the bed so far has been bark mulch. I put down a heavy layer, 3” to 4” thick to cover the planting area. This helps keep the soil moist by slowing evaporation of the moisture within the bed. I only have to water every few days to keep things moist even in 100 degrees plus F.
I posted a picture in May of the new bed covered with mulch. Here it is again:
And here is the garden in September.
Except for the annuals, the plants I chose should make it through a normal winter in my area. Over the course of the summer I planted the following species:
Indian Hawthorne ‘Eleanor Taber’ (Rhaphiolepis indica)
Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Midnight Marvel Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Midnight Marvel’)
Trumpet Lily ’Beijing Moon’ (hybrid)
Poco Orange Hot Poker (Kniphofia species)
Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata)
Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana)
Chinese Yellow Banana (Musella lasiocarpa)
Japanese Banana (Musa basjoo)
Pink Velvet Banana (Musa velutina)
Zebra Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’)
Yellow Monkey Flower (Mimulus quitate)
Mango Popsicle Hot Poker (Kniphofia species)
Banana Popsicle Hot Poker (Kniphofia species)
White-flowered Hot Poker (Kniphofia species)
Chinese Ground Orchid (Bletilla striata)
Peter Pan Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus ‘Peter Pan”)
Black Magic Elephant Ear (Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Magic’)
Giant Thailand Elephant Ear (Colocasia gigantea)
McCurtain Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor ‘McCurtain’)
Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)
Necta Zee Miniature Nectarine (Prunus persica)
President Canna (Canna indica ‘President’)
Dwarf Bamboo (Pleioblastus pygmaeus?)
Mangave Hybrid (Mangave hybrid)
Fritillaria imperialis
Annuals for color
Marigolds
Vincas
Many of the plants were turned to mush when a record-setting, early season snow occurred in October. Now the garden is asleep and mulched for the winter. It will be interesting to see what survives the winter.
Ted’s Universe: Travel, Art, Nature 
Ted ! Wonderful photos and very interesting to see your plant choices 😍
Likewise l would be very interested to see which plants make it through your winter. Are you USDA zone 7 !??
Plants like colocasia gigantea..and the musa banana plants…are you able to locate them at local nurseries or are they all mail order !???
Glad I came across your page ⚘
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Hi Farley! I’m officially gardening in USDA Zone 7; however, last year (and my first year in this location) it was a Zone 8 winter. It is not unusual for us to have a Zone 8 winter; however, every few years we dip into the single digits of a Zone 7 winter. I covered the Colocasias, Musas, Cannas, and other plants with a very thick layer of mulch. Supposedly, they should all be able to survive a Zone 7 winter by doing so.
As far as the plants are concerned, it is of course a combination of sources both local and mail order. The Colocasia gigantea I actually got from Gurney’s of all places. It arrived as a tiny 4-inch pot plant but quickly grew into a giant! As far as the Musa species, I ordered them all from one of my favorite nurseries, Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina. They tend to be a little pricey, but the selection is enormous, the plants are good-sized, and they pack them very well.
Thanks for your kind words. I hope you will continue to follow my blog.
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Helloooo again Ted..😊
Don’t want to bombard you with endless messages and questions ..lol..BUT (🤣) from your photos it looks like you have planted on either side of walkway that leads to front door? Is that basically your garden space? Also…do you have water restrictions ? I don’t recall if we spoke of this before. I know that you’re not Bone dry like California and you do have some sort of rainy season ? Am I mistaken?
I ask about that because I know the hibiscus moscheutos, bananas and elephant ears enjoy getting good doses of water. Btw l also order from Plant Delights…they are pricey but they have a nice variety of some unusual plants. When l was in Hawaii and Florida you could easily pick these guys up at your local home improvement store for around $5 to $6…😳!!!
You guys doing ok ??? Did your governor close down grocery stores !?? Is this insanity!???
Farley🦋
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Hello again, lol.
I can always talk about gardening. Actually, the planting strip runs along a retaining wall separating the upper and lower parts of a sloping back yard. It is a U-shaped bed running around a large mulberry tree in the middle of what will become a lawn area next year.
As far as watering, my water bill only went up a few dollars this past summer. The area is in the shade of two, large mulberry trees and so is naturally a little cooler. The bed of tropicals is heavily mulched with shredded bark several inches thick. I hardly have to water at all. It stays very moist under the mulch and the shade of the trees. We normally have a monsoon season that starts about mid-July and ends in mid-September; however, this year it never really materialized. We are in a severe drought right now. On the one end of the U, I recently installed a cactus and succulent garden as it gets full sun in the summer. There is a real contrast between the two areas even though they are adjacent to one another. We face watering restrictions every summer as a matter of practice, drought or not. You can’t water during most of the day and there are days you can and cannot water, depending on the month. You can water more during the cooler months. Of course, most of the plants are dormant then so they don’t need watering anyway.
The grocery stores and other essential businesses are shut down. Indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants is shut down. Restaurants are limited to take out and delivery only. We had one of the lowest rates of Covid in the nation, but once things re-opened in May, it all went downhill. I’m not sure if this shutdown will get us back on track again or not, but I hope so, especially since so many people are suffering economically due to the closures. Time will tell.
As I said above, I always enjoy talking about plants.
Have a good and safe Thanksgiving!
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Ted !! Am soo sorry..am scrolling around on my little cell phone..l now see that you wrote about everything that I questioned you about in the very beginning of your garden blog…so sorry for the redundant questions.. l didn’t see what you wrote initially!!!
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Hello,We recently purchased a home in Magdelana with 2/3 acre &wish to cultivate.Interested in possibility for tropicals,ie: bananas, papaya,mango, mangosteen, dragon fruit,rombutan,lichee,etc.Any direction to resource addressing growing these fruits in this area greatly appreciated.(currently waiting on response from NMSU)Thank you for your attention with this matter.Respectfully,John Bernier
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Hi John,
I looked on a map and it looks like you are in borderline 6b/7a USDA hardiness zones. That said you should be able to grow some bananas (Musa basjoo and Musella lasiocarpa and perhaps Musa velutina), cannas, and elephant ears (colocasias) with minimum winter protection. The others in your list are too tropical for growing in our climate other than in pots that can be moved into a greenhouse or inside your house.
Hope this helpful,
Ted
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