try the palm for its more active :)

The Sunset gardening book 'Theme Gardens' has great suggestions on how to transition a tropical looking garden into other styles. They talk about using transition plants that would work in either type of garden to create a buffer between the tropical area and the more traditional plantings. I use large leafed hostas in my transition area-from the tropical side they blend in and they also work on the traditional side. Ferns are another great buffer. I have a pink flowered hardy magnolia, which because of its large leaves manages to look somewhat tropical. The tall evergreen tree...I just try to pretend isn't there! Although there are some evergreen trees in the Bahamas...