Want to design an exotic garden? Visit the zoo

Want to design an exotic garden? Visit the zoo | OregonLive.com

If you've dreamed of creating a tropical garden in your backyard but worried about what plants would survive our Pacific Northwest weather, go to the experts.

Next time you're at the Oregon Zoo, wandering past the African slender-snouted crocodiles or the Rodrigues flying fox, and around the red-flanked duiker, look around. You'll notice you're surrounded by plants that make you feel as if you're smack in the middle of an African rain forest.