Today we will begin a series on Tropical exotic plants suitable for our gardens, starting with Heliconias. These are among the most popular garden plants, both for the ease with which they can be grown and the sheer magnificence of the blooms.

Heliconias are native or endemic to the American Tropics - Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Most inhabit moist, humid regions although they can survive in seasonally dry areas. There is also a disjunct group, separated by thousands of miles, found in the Old World Tropics from Samoa in the Pacific to the Indonesian Islands. Curiously, these have mostly green bracts and flowers in contrast to the bright yellow, orange and red of the New World Types.

Heliconia psittacorum.

In order to successfully cultivate any plant it is necessary for us to know their structure, which, in a way, will relate to their growing requirements. Let us therefore have a look at this plant.
Heliconias are medium (3-4 ft) to large (25-30 ft) erect herbs with extensive rhizomatous growth. Each erect shoot is composed of a soft stem enclosed in the overlapping leaf sheaths. Below ground the stem enlarges into a horizontal fleshy stem called a rhizome, with roots and buds called eyes.

Once a plant is mature, each shoot is able to produce a single inflorescence which will last several days to many months. I have had blooms lasting four months in my garden. Each inflorescence is made up of several colourful bracts within which are many tiny flowers and may be erect or hanging.

If fertilised, these may produce fruits with one to three seeds. The fruits are brightly coloured yellow, red or blue and are attractive to birds and small mammals, which will disperse them. I am sure you have found Heliconia plants in some places where you know you did not want them. Thank or blame these creatures.

If you have also noticed a lot of humming birds around these plants, their long beaks enable them to drink nectar in the flowers, pollinating the flowers as they do. Interestingly, in the Old World the flowers open in the evening and night and are pollinated by nectar-feeding bats.

Growing Heliconias

The best guide to the growing of Heliconias is to examine the conditions under which they grow in the wild. They flourish in loamy soil rich in humus, sunlight, an abundance of water and in temperature that does not go below 40ºF.

Planting

The most common practice is to plant rhizomes which may or may not have a young shoot. If planting a rhizome with an old flower shoot, cut it back to about six inches before planting. This will have eyes or buds, all of which will use the food stored in the rhizome to grow new shoots in about four weeks, while roots grow from the rhizome.

As growth continues, the rhizome will branch in all directions and soon you will have a bed of plants. I noticed that it took about nine months for them to flower after post-Ivan plantings.

This is about the norm. Frequent watering is recommended as long as your soil drains quickly - water logging will cause the rhizome to rot.

Heliconias are heavy feeders. A soluble balanced or granular time-release fertiliser may be used (please follow the manufacturers' directions).

Pests & diseases

When well-fed in rich soil Heliconias are normally free of pests and diseases. However, they may be attacked by microscopic red spider mite which can be detected by a fine web that they produce on the underside of leaves. If detected, spray with insecticidal soap or miticide. This also goes for mealybugs - white, powdery insects, which are another potential pest.

The plants' worst enemy is fungus - one causing root and another stem rot - usually when soil drainage is poor. These can be controlled by spraying with a number of general-use fungicides.
One factor that makes these plants ideal for our gardens is their great range in size. You can therefore select and plant the ones suitable for the size of your garden. Many like the Heliconia psittacorum (yellow bird) will bloom all year round but more abundantly from September to February.

Others are more seasonal. Some bloom in the Summer and Autumn so you will always have blooms in the garden. Another great factor is that the blooms can last for several weeks as cut flowers, making them favourites with flower arrangers around the world.
Happy gardening.

The fear factor

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS