Heliconia schiedeana

[cagary]

Here's a flower (inflorescenses) from my Heliconia schiedeana.

Once this Heliconia gets established in a shady spot, they spread and flower almost all year here in southern CA.

Any one else growing these?

[Peter]

I've got a couple of clumps; the largest must be 15' tall. I let it flower for a couple of months, then cut the flowers off as I've found for me the leaves seem to be tattered when it's in flower. As soon as I cut off the flower it sends new leaves and is much more attractive, but unfortunately without the flowers.

[epicure3]

I've got a couple of clumps; the largest must be 15' tall. I let it flower for a couple of months, then cut the flowers off as I've found for me the leaves seem to be tattered when it's in flower. As soon as I cut off the flower it sends new leaves and is much more attractive, but unfortunately without the flowers.

That's interesting. I always thought that, once flowered, the stalk died.

[Tropicalken]

I also have several clumps of these around the yard. They are reliable bloomers, but do have tattered leaves since they bloom on last years shoots. When the bloom starts looking bad, I cut the whole thing to the ground. I too thought that after the shoot bloomed it didn't put out any more leaves. I'll have to check that one out. I also have several other varieties but they just grow and never bloom.

Ken in South Pasadena

[ariscott]

After flowering, the stalk dies. You better off just cutting it to the ground. It is the same for most of them. I have a few (well, more than a few) in my garden... I love them as much as trees and palms.

Regards, Ari

[Eric in Orlando]

It grows and flowers well here. The foliage is actually a little hardier than other ohers. Most will burn at 32-34F, H. scheideana has taken to 30-31F with no damage. Also growing the cultivar 'Fire and Ice' but I don't notice any difference between it and the species. Both grow 6-7ft here.

Heliconia scheideana

Heliconia scheideana 'Fire and Ice'

[fisherman1]

I have been growing this for a few years. It grows pretty good but it's very hungry and thirsty. I broke some up and have more than I need. I have some 5gl. if anyone wants some. I would like to find out if there is any other haliconia will flower in San Diego?

F1

[epicure3]

I have been growing this for a few years. It grows pretty good but it's very hungry and thirsty. I broke some up and have more than I need. I have some 5gl. if anyone wants some. I would like to find out if there is any other haliconia will flower in San Diego?

F1

In addition to H. Schiedeana, I also grow H. Subulata and H. Bourgaeana. Both grow fine and flower here for me.

[ariscott]

I have been growing this for a few years. It grows pretty good but it's very hungry and thirsty.

All heliconias are hungry and thirsty. They need feeding and additional watering to look good and flower.

Regards, Ari

[Tyrone]

I really want this species, but noone has it over here. I have H psittacorum X ? , H rostrata that's 4m tall and H latispatha, and I've just got some H psittacorum X spathocircunatum (Golden Torch) but so far only the H psittacorum X has flowered and it does consistently every year. Maybe next year my H rostrata will flower. It handles my winters fine. If I can fine H schiedianna over here I'll be very happy.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Geoff]

This is the only species I seem to be able to grow... but it lived through our 24F freeze, so can't complain. Just gets totally shredded by the Santa Anas and looks terrible

[Matt in OC]

If you're going to grow this, allow for a BIG spot. I'm now regretting planting this.

Before:

 

18 months later:

[Brett in Mission Viejo]

I have had this plant growing for 11 years. Yes, I agree they are hardy and can take over. I thin them out/dig the rhizomes out regularly especially if you want them in a small area.  And if confined to a fixed area without regular maintenance the rhizomes will start to grow on top of one another and elevate the entire growing area several inches. If In So Cal, as with other related species, try to plant them in an area with Santa Ana wind protection to avoid the shredded burnt leaf look. 

[Jesse]

I have one that I got about 6 months ago.  I have procrastinated on planting it because I am afraid it has a virus that I wasn't aware of when I picked it up. The owner of the nursery said it was an iron deficiency. Is it possible that it's just malnutrition? The leaves have yellow stripes and some of the stripes have windows. I will try to post a picture soon. 

[Jesse]

Here is a picture of one at the nursery. any ideas? 

[JasonD]

It needs a touch of heat to grow. Here in San Francisco it's glacially slow, but in Berkeley, where the summer weather is a few degrees warmer, it grows and flowers fine.

[Ben in Norcal]

On 11/23/2016, 10:38:23, JasonD said:

It needs a touch of heat to grow. Here in San Francisco it's glacially slow, but in Berkeley, where the summer weather is a few degrees warmer, it grows and flowers fine.

They are explosive and take things over here.  I have some serious cutting back to do around the pond...right now they have engulfed a Dypsos onilahensis.

[Silas_Sancona]

Like Jason mentioned, excells in the warmer parts around the S.F. Bay Area and is the easiest to grow species for areas that lack "Florida or Hawaii-like" heat/humidity/ lack of killing frost or freezes. Might even be Arizona-worthy with the right exposure and a little extra tlc.  Had some planted at a neighbors back in San Jose but not sure if they kept it. Made the mistake of placing it in a spot that likely was too small for a more mature specimen. Beyond that, it did fine.

[Jesse]

Quick update on this. 

The Heliconia I originally bought as Schiedeana Fire and Ice actually turned out to be Agusta Yellow Christmas, Which I actually Like more. The issues I posted about previously went away when I planted it in the ground and gave it more water.

[Matt in OC]

On 3/8/2018, 6:24:05, Jesse said:

Quick update on this. 

The Heliconia I originally bought as Schiedeana Fire and Ice actually turned out to be Agusta Yellow Christmas, Which I actually Like more. The issues I posted about previously went away when I planted it in the ground and gave it more water.

Whoa! That's nice. Is it a particularly aggressive plant like Schiedeana?

[Jesse]

I actually have it in a 25 gal pot with the bottom cut off as a root barrier so I haven’t had any problems

[RBL]

Hello--

Resurrecting an old thread here if I may.

Zone 10a here; barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Florida. Back in October I purchased one of these H. Schiedeana while filling up the nooks & crannies in the raised bed of tropical bamboo that runs alongside the house. It is just starting to grow now, and in researching this tropical plant on the internet today, I chanced across this discussion that gives me pause. If this in fact will turn into a monster plant that will take over everything, am I best off boxing it in with, say, a 3' x 3' area of pressure-treated lumber?

Thanks for any/all suggestions.

[Jungle Yard]

Running Heliconias arguably aren't as invasive,  although they will require some effort to keep them in place. You have to keep pulling sprouting stems from where you don't want them. Yes its called gardening

Here is a thought. There are so many clumping and very beautiful Heliconias out there to choose from. They do not require as much maintenance as the runners do.

[RBL]

3 hours ago, Jungle Yard said:

Running Heliconias arguably aren't as invasive

Hello Jungle Yard--

I'm a bit confused by your post. Is your opening statement a typo, or did you mean to say that running Heliconias aren't as invasive as their clumping counterparts (which seems counter-intuitive)? I did a google search just now, and I still can't determine if my H. Schiendeana is the running or clumping variety...

Edited March 24, 2019 by RBL

[Jungle Yard]

1 hour ago, RBL said:

Hello Jungle Yard--

I'm a bit confused by your post. Is your opening statement a typo, or did you mean to say that running Heliconias aren't as invasive as their clumping counterparts (which seems counter-intuitive)? I did a google search just now, and I still can't determine if my H. Schiendeana is the running or clumping variety...

 

[Jungle Yard]

I was not comparing, but stating the fact in general about heliconias with elongated (running) rhizomes. You can control them, but it involves some work. If I were to build a pressure-treated wood box for it, I'd better look for clumpy heliconias.

As far as H. schiedeana, it seems that it is running.  Additionally, It was sold by some growers under the name H. latispatha, which is also running.

[annafl]

18 hours ago, RBL said:

Hello--

Resurrecting an old thread here if I may.

Zone 10a here; barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Florida. Back in October I purchased one of these H. Schiedeana while filling up the nooks & crannies in the raised bed of tropical bamboo that runs alongside the house. It is just starting to grow now, and in researching this tropical plant on the internet today, I chanced across this discussion that gives me pause. If this in fact will turn into a monster plant that will take over everything, am I best off boxing it in with, say, a 3' x 3' area of pressure-treated lumber?

Thanks for any/all suggestions.

I am in Sarasota.  I have several clumping heliconias, but not the schiediana.  They are vigorous plants that require reigning in once or twice a year eventually.  That means going around the perimeter you decide is the boundary with a shovel.  They are not invasive, but love to grow if given a nice spot.  Definitely high maintenance, but reward you beautifully.  The shovel is the only way we contain them.  I'm almost certain Schiedeana is a clumping variety.  Usually it's the psittacorum, smaller varieties that border on being invasive.

 

[raimeiken]

On 3/8/2018 at 7:24 AM, Jesse said:

Quick update on this. 

The Heliconia I originally bought as Schiedeana Fire and Ice actually turned out to be Agusta Yellow Christmas, Which I actually Like more. The issues I posted about previously went away when I planted it in the ground and gave it more water.

wow! I'd love to try growing this here. do you have any rhizomes to spare? we could trade or I'll buy some from you?

[Jesse]

On 4/7/2019 at 3:23 PM, raimeiken said:

wow! I'd love to try growing this here. do you have any rhizomes to spare? we could trade or I'll buy some from you?

I've been meaning to thin out the clump for quite some time now. Just haven't done it yet. 

[Merlyn]

I have a couple of the "Orange Gyro" latispatha, I think.  But maybe they are schiedeana?  How would I tell the difference, since some websites seem to show them as synonyms?  Mine are still rhizomes, but I got them from a friend and they were growing 8-10 feet tall.

[Brett in Mission Viejo]

I forgot to mention with Scheideana that in So Cal the birds love to devour the seeds if you leave the flowers on during the extended summer. Seedlings pop up in different parts of your garden the next spring via poop distribution. Experienced this twice over the past 3 years. Had to remove seedlings/clumps not wanted.

[frank_10b]

How does this variety do in Florida alkaline high ph limestone?  Will it tolerate FL heat/rain since it seems to be highland tropical?  

[gurugu]

This is mine at 43ºN. It started flowering after three years in the ground. It set seeds but didn´t sprout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[frank_10b]

43How does this variety do in Florida alkaline high ph limestone?  Will it tolerate FL heat/rain since it seems to be highland tropical?  

31 minutes ago, gurugu said:

This is mine at 43ºN. It started flowering after three years in the ground. It set seeds but didn´t sprout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

43*?

[gurugu]

1 hour ago, frank_10b said:

43How does this variety do in Florida alkaline high ph limestone?  Will it tolerate FL heat/rain since it seems to be highland tropical?  

43*?

Yes. at 43º30´ N actually. I don´t think I´m the only one who grows it here on the north coast of Spain.

I also grew Bihai, but with no success. I am going to try Subulata, Psitacorum, Angusta yellow and Rostrata this next spring. Rostrata (I´m not sure it is so, but the person who sent it to me from the Canary islands said it so) has been growing outdoors for 7 years among Alpinia, that´s why I forgot about it, survived. I´ll plant it in a better spot next time.

[Merlyn]

12 hours ago, frank_10b said:

How does this variety do in Florida alkaline high ph limestone?  Will it tolerate FL heat/rain since it seems to be highland tropical?  

In a previous post Eric in Orlando showed some growing at Leu Gardens, so they are okay with the FL heat and rain.  If you have a frost-free area you can probably grow it okay, but I have no idea about it handling limestone.  Another similar alternative is Latispatha (Orange Gyro, Red-Yellow Gyro, etc) which are a few degrees hardier and reliably bloom all summer for me in NW Orlando.  I also have no clue if they tolerate limestone, my area is sandy but mostly acidic.

[Than]

Would you recommend sun or shade for schiedeana? I live in Greece so summer sun is strong. Similar climate to California. The plant was in a shaded greenhouse so I'm now acclimatizing it to the sun. 

[Silas_Sancona]

6 hours ago, ego said:

Would you recommend sun or shade for schiedeana? I live in Greece so summer sun is strong. Similar climate to California. The plant was in a shaded greenhouse so I'm now acclimatizing it to the sun. 

In San Jose ( near coastal, Central California ) placed some i planted at a neighbors  against a wall that faces east, can still see leaves of that clump peeking over the gate when i do Street View checks of other stuff i installed there.  Some i had in more sun ( in a container ) showed more burn thru the hottest / driest part of the summer there.. And for a Medi. -type climate, San Jose < ..and a fair portion of near coastal Central and S Cal >,  are normally more humid than areas further inland.

Here, i'd plant them in a similar situation, or in all day filtered shade, where they will get irrigated regularly.

[richtrav]

I’ll see latispatha down here every now and then, especially the Orange Gyro types, it seems to be able to handle at least a little alkalinity (I wouldn’t push them too much). They want some shade and protection from the wind.