Bali in your backyard: create a tropical paradise to bring vacations home

Sunset, June, 2004 by Sharon Cohoon

Between the deck and the planting is a creek bed of black La Paz stone (Stuckey mixed two bags of 1/4-in. pebbles with one bag of 1 1/2-in. stones). The stones cover a soaker hose that winds through the planting area to water the plants and periodically douse the space with a jungly mist.

Sit on the deck and pull the netting around you, and you'll feel almost like you're floating in a cloud above a jungle of exotic flowers. "Zen meets the tropics," said one visitor who tried out the space.--KATHLEEN N. BRENZEL

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Bali hideaway

To create this casual backyard structure, we made a frame of bamboo poles (2-in. diameter for vertical supports, 1 1/2-in. for horizontals). A nut and bolt holds each pole junction together; hemp twine wrapped over each junction gives a lashed-together look. Mosquito netting tied loosely onto the poles shelters a tiny deck resting on bricks, but you also could build the structure over a level patch of lawn or gravel--adapt dimensions and materials freely to your taste.

It's in the details

To create your own backyard Bali, combine plants that have large, lush leaves with those that pump out bold, bright flowers. Use details--exotic art and furnishings, misters, tiki lamps, and candles--to add drama and to enhance the tropical mood. Blend the following elements to make your own paradise.

Hardscape. The appropriate materials will add to the jungle feeling. Greg Asbagh's pool (shown on page 148) wouldn't look nearly as Hawaiian if it were surrounded with blond Arizona flagstone instead of black Buckingham slate (or even river rock).

Flowers. To help birds, butterflies, and other pollinators find the flowers amidst all the greenery, tropical blooms sport vivid hues. Cannas, dahlias, and shell ginger (Alpinia) have bright blooms, as do flowering shrubs such as angel's trumpet (Brugmansia), hibiscus, plumeria, and shrimp plant; vines such as bougainvillea, mandevilla hybrids, and passion vine; and many tender perennials, such as abutilon and impatiens.

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Foliage. To help create a tropical mood, set plants with delicate leaves next to those that have huge, glossy leaves. Depending on where you live, your jungle canopy might mix a small-leafed black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), jacaranda (J. mimosifolia), or silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) with bold-leafed types such as goldenrain tree (Koel-reuteria paniculata), palms, or Southern magnolia (M. grandiflora). Beneath the tree canopy, plant lower-growing, big-leafed plants--bananas (Musa basjoo is the hardiest species), bear's breech (Acanthus mollis), honey bush (Melianthus major), or ligularia--among small-leafed ferns, lily turf, ornamental grasses, or ti plants.

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Thatch. Nothing makes a garden feel more like a tropical island than a little palm thatching. It could be as simple as an umbrella over a table or as elaborate as a roof over a Balinese-style dining pavilion.

Fencing. Substitute bamboo poles for grapestake or chain-link fencing, and a garden instantly looks more exotic.