Heliconias anyone ?

[Walter John]

Well after many moons, my heliconias are finally producing and here's the results. I can't remember now what the species was called.  If anyone has an idea please let me know and I'm sure folk would love to see any other heliconias members may have.

[Eric in Orlando]

Not sure about the first but the 2nd one is H. angusta 'Holiday'.

Here are some Heliconias that grow well here;

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph....1%3af,0

[Walter John]

That's it Eric. Both of them, the other is still opening, we call them 'Christmas' here though.

[Eric in Orlando]

'Christmas' is a synonym for 'Holiday' but there is an orange and a yellow form of H. angusta and these are 'Orange Christmas' and 'Yellow Christmas'.

[BigFrond]

Very nice!  Heliconias are great palm pals.  I have 3 orange plants for 3 years now and still no flowers.  The orange guys are about 6 ft now.  Last year I bought the yellow and the red.  I noticed the red and yellow variety leaves are more delicate and not as pretty as the orange.

[Daryl]

Heliconias are great palm companions, but unless they are the dwarf species, they are a lot of work. I planted all kinds of them here, and they all grew like gangbusters. The main problem is they get out of control and start monstering the smaller palms and sucking all the moisture away from them too. Then you have to cut back the dead stems after flowering. Doesn't sound like much trouble, but I used to spend entire weekends just cutting them back. Lovely plants, but hard work!

Of course Yellow and Red Christmas, Jamaican Dwarf etc are no trouble whatsoever...

Daryl.

[Jeff Searle]

(Daryl @ Aug. 31 2006,20:38)

QUOTE

Heliconias are great palm companions, but unless they are the dwarf species, they are a lot of work. I planted all kinds of them here, and they all grew like gangbusters. The main problem is they get out of control and start monstering the smaller palms and sucking all the moisture away from them too. Then you have to cut back the dead stems after flowering. Doesn't sound like much trouble, but I used to spend entire weekends just cutting them back. Lovely plants, but hard work!

Of course Yellow and Red Christmas, Jamaican Dwarf etc are no trouble whatsoever...

Daryl.

Like Daryl, I had many varieties in the yard. It got to be so much work keeping them in check.I still have several of the real nice ones, the wife loves to use the flowers in the house.

[aussiearoids]

H. velerigera or something very much like it ,,

[aussiearoids]

H.irrasa is a small grower with stunning flower .

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Wal…those are some awesome flowers…I only have a few, mostly  gifts from friends…here is one I like, I think it’s called ‘Lady Di’….it’s a pretty small plant at about 3ft tall max.

BTW, to each their own, but I like the fact that they can start to take off and compete in other areas….cant stand a tidy garden. :laugh:

Rusty

[SunnyFl]

(Daryl @ Aug. 31 2006,20:38)

QUOTE

Heliconias are great palm companions, but unless they are the dwarf species, they are a lot of work. I planted all kinds of them here, and they all grew like gangbusters. The main problem is they get out of control and start monstering the smaller palms and sucking all the moisture away from them too.

I really wanted to plant rostrata and maybe a few others (unidentified, in a pail for now).  But I don't want them crowding the palms and taking over - my lot is too small for that.

Would it be possible to sink a tub in the ground, fill with soil, and plant them in that?  This would also prevent them from syphoning the moisture away from the palms.

I already have crotons planted in large tubs that are sunk into the ground - the top of the tub is at ground level.  This was the only way to keep torpedograss out.  (Holes are drilled in the bottom of the tub for drainage, with a layer of pebbles over them.)

[Daryl]

(SunnyFl @ Sep. 04 2006,22:32)

QUOTE

(Daryl @ Aug. 31 2006,20:38)

QUOTE

Heliconias are great palm companions, but unless they are the dwarf species, they are a lot of work. I planted all kinds of them here, and they all grew like gangbusters. The main problem is they get out of control and start monstering the smaller palms and sucking all the moisture away from them too.

I really wanted to plant rostrata and maybe a few others (unidentified, in a pail for now).  But I don't want them crowding the palms and taking over - my lot is too small for that.

Would it be possible to sink a tub in the ground, fill with soil, and plant them in that?  This would also prevent them from syphoning the moisture away from the palms.

I already have crotons planted in large tubs that are sunk into the ground - the top of the tub is at ground level.  This was the only way to keep torpedograss out.  (Holes are drilled in the bottom of the tub for drainage, with a layer of pebbles over them.)

That's what I do with the few species that I grow now...

plant them inside a large pot (75 litre) with the bottom cut out of it. Seems to keep them in check and they certainy don't grow with the same vigour, yet still look good and flower well.

Daryl.

[SunnyFl]

(Daryl @ Sep. 07 2006,07:01)

QUOTE

That's what I do with the few species that I grow now...

plant them inside a large pot (75 litre) with the bottom cut out of it. Seems to keep them in check and they certainy don't grow with the same vigour, yet still look good and flower well.

Daryl.

Thanks for the info - I'll try that then.  And I'll cut the bottoms out of the tubs to improve drainage.  Glad to hear they'll still flower well, can't wait to get them into the ground.

[Walter John]

Here's my heliconias again, both flowers showing the white parts now.

[ruskinPalms]

Time to resurrect a heliconia thread to ask a question. I planted some Jamaican Dwarf Heliconia in the front of my house where they get hit with full morning sun for about 5 hours each day. I planted them in January 2007 and they have seen some pretty cold temps to about 32F or 33F on a couple occaisions since I planted them. Prior to the cold, they seemed like they were getting leaf burn from the sun. The cold didn't help either. Now the new leaves coming out from new little shoots are seeming to get burned as well to to a certain extent. Will this plant ever be able to take the full morning sun or should I did it out while I still can?

Pics:

I know very little about heliconia in general. When should I cut of the old plants after they have flowered? They are looking pretty ratty right now and they are in a spotof honor in the front of my house. I could pop these out and put in some cocothrinax foe example

[nomolos]

What are the most cold hardy?

[aussiearoids]

Cut off all the ones that have flowered and give the clump a good feed , it will come back .

Get a large vase and pick some of the flowers every few weeks , add some palm fronds a Cordyline cane , will brighten up the place .

[ruskinPalms]

Well, I did som rearranging and moved the helicona clump farther back in the bed to a shadier, more wind protected area and cut off everything that was looking ratty. I put a spindle palm I have been pot growing for a couple years in its spot and added a few crotons.

[The Germinator]

Do any thrive in SO-CAL

[Carlo Morici]

This is my surprise and revelation  :laugh: : Heliconia indica spectabilis or "spectabilis #1 no stipes" if you are a Heliconia-man.

The picture was taken in early December but it exploded since then. It is referred to as a very cold sensitive species, but it was the best of the ones I tried. The only without spots or split leaves, growing like crazy in full winter! H.collinsiana grew a one or two leaves in winter but this one exploded.

[epicure3]

here's a picture that I took yesterday.

To answer your question, yes there are some that live and thrive in SoCal. Schiedeana, latispatha, impudica, bourgeana and even rostrata (in perfect places). The rest are too tropical and require too much heat to bloom. You may be able to make others grow but flower is another story.

[bahia]

I grow many of the Heliconias that Epicure lists here in northern California, outdoors, except for H. impudica, and would also add H. matthiaseae and H. aurantiaca to the list.  The most reliable to bloom for me have been H. latispatha and H. scheideana, although both had foliage burnt back at 28F this January.  The plants themselves are fine.  I have heard that H. collinsiana can be grown and flowered in warmest parts of southern California, but haven't seen this myself.  This last is a spectacular plant in foliage and bloom, if you have the conditions for it.

In cooler coastal California growing conditions, Heliconias are not the monsters in the garden that they can be in more tropical conditions.  They are slowly expanding clumpers here, rather than racehorses...

[epicure3]

Not for me.....I have to prune back my schiedeanas at least twice a year. They grow waaaaay too fast and run like the wind.

[Jeff Searle]

(aussiearoids @ Sep. 01 2006,06:17)

QUOTE

H. velerigera or something very much like it ,,

I learned this one as " Wooly Monkey". It will not grow here in South Florida, it comes from higher elevations down in Ecuador.

Jeff

[Jeff Searle]

Here's a few varieties that are blooming in the nursery now. This is one of my favorites, Pedro Ortiz.

Jeff

[Jeff Searle]

This we call Iris Bannochie.

[Jeff Searle]

Halloween,very close to Claw #1

[Jeff Searle]

Tagami Royale

[Jeff Searle]

Bucky

[Jeff Searle]

A very nice ortho, Eden Pink.