It’s spring break season. Maybe you’re on your way to a tropical location, or you have a trip planned later this year to a unique spot totally different than your home environment.

While it might seem these excursions are not great opportunities to gather ideas for your Midwestern garden, they can actually inspire many new garden additions and improvements.

See a plant you love that can’t survive your growing zone? Maybe you can plant it as an annual or in a pot indoors. Love the design of a tropical garden display, but the plants are all wrong for your garden? Maybe you can incorporate the basic structures, using cold-hardy or native plants.

For example, during a trip to New Orleans several years ago, I noticed Lantana blooming everywhere. While it’s a plant I was aware of before the trip, I’d never planted them in my own garden. Lantana are non-native, colorful bloomers, often considered invasive in warmer parts of the U.S. But they’re great annuals for those of us in temperate regions. They’re lovely in potted arrangements and as border plants. I’ve planted them every year since my visit to New Orleans.

While visiting public parks in San Diego, I noticed many eye-catching border plantings. Some of the plants were inappropriate and not suited to my garden, while others were plants that are hardy in my area. Plus, the designs of these border plantings could be incorporated in just about any garden.

In Charleston, SC, I gleaned many ideas for combining plants in pots. The city is known for and abounding with potted arrangements and window boxes—some of the most creative I’ve ever seen. Most of these plants are excellent for potted arrangements in any climate during the warmer seasons.

During a trip to Toronto, which has a climate similar to the Upper Midwest, I noticed Allium growing and blooming in the shade!

My garden is mostly shady, so it opened my eyes to the possibilities. Turns out, both in the Toronto gardens with the Allium and my own garden, the shade is supplied by deciduous trees­ that develop new growth and leaves in late spring. The Allium have plenty of time to form new growth and buds before the trees leaf out. Since that trip, I’ve planted many species of Allium in my shady garden with great success.

These are just a few examples of ideas gleaned from travels that can be incorporated in a Midwestern garden. All it takes is observational skills, creativity, and sometimes slight adjustment to apply them back to your own garden. Happy travels and happy gardening!

Beth Stetenfeld is an organic gardener, native-plant enthusiast and garden blogger and writer. She’s also a master naturalist volunteer and instructor.

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