Bring the tropics to your patio; Gardens.

Byline: Hannah Stephenson

IT'S your last chance to plant up your summer containers to give them long enough to root down and provide the colour you need to last the season.

And, if you're not going away this year, you might like to introduce an exotic corner to your patio.

Broad-leaved cannas, hostas, deep orange dahlias, fiery crocosmias and tender bulbs such as gloriosa will all add heat to the scene, while plants of architectural interest such as Fatsia japonica, palms, cordyline and phormium can all add to that tropical feel.

Put sun-loving palms and succulents in the hottest spots, and position shade-tolerant plants, such as hostas, beneath the canopies of large-leaved plants.

It will be too late now to grow your tropical specimens from scratch, but you'll be able to find them in garden centres and nurseries.

Remember, though, that some of your plants such as cannas and bananas are tender and will need extra care to overwinter them..

Tropical styles tend to look best in urban situations and work well with modern furniture and accessories.

Remember, with exotic schemes the emphasis is on the bold plants, not the pots. So don't use elaborate, brightly-coloured pots for an exotic effect, and avoid anything green in the background, such as a lawn, so that all the leaves are clearly visible.

Good backdrops include: Trachycarpus wagnerianus, a neater version of the Chusan palm ('T. fortunei'), with smaller, stiffer leaves, able to withstand a windy sight; or Chamaerops humilis, a slow-growing dwarf fan palm which comes from southern Europe but is happy in colder areas.

Tropical scenes need careful, sparing use of really vibrant colour.

Red hot pokers (Kniphofia), ginger lilies (Hedychium) and cannas can provide this.

Good varieties include 'C. striata', which has 45cm (18in) paddleshaped, green and yellow striped leaves and produces sizzling orange flowers in midsummer. The rich orange flowers and variegated leaves of 'C. pretoria' create an exotic feel and another good choice is 'C. president', which produces scarlet blooms, or the golden yellow 'King Midas'. Cannas need loads of humus in the soil and do well in large pots in a sheltered, sunny spot.

Alternatively, go for small pots of sizzling scarlet geraniums placed in front of the larger foliage plants.

Also, go for vibrant ornamental grasses such as Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra', which makes a clump of bright green leaves whose tips turn blood red and then the rest of the leaves follow suit. Fluffy silvery-white flowers appear late in the summer. This one needs fertile, moist soil rich in humus and should be placed in full sun..

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Use exotic plants to give your patio a tropical feel.