Heliconia, especially the pendant varieties, just scream "tropical" to me - and probably the most common, most photographed, and most recognizable is Heliconia rostrata. But I still never tire of it when it is time to start blooming.
This smaller bush, that won't take over the garden like some of the others, has a place anywhere if you have the climate to pull it off.
This smaller bush, that won't take over the garden like some of the others, has a place anywhere if you have the climate to pull it off.