Heliconia Thread

[mnorell]

1 hour ago, thyerr01 said:

@mnorell Well I think the situation about H. acuminata 'Super Cheri' might have become more complicated. I checked what H. thomasiana looks like and that's clearly not my plant as that species is musoid and mine is zingiberoid. However, it seems that H. acuminata is also musoid? At least the photos I saw online all appear to be. I wonder if my plant is actually a form of H. hirsuta? Mine, like I assume your new one, came from PGH. Is yours also zingiberoid?

I'm not sure I have the patience or space to keep any around that won't flower regularly. Really the only remaining ones I'd like to test are the other seedlings of 'Mexican Gold', although they are nearly impossible to find, and some of the different dwarf H. rostrata to see they can be pushed to flower within a year.

I didn't mean to imply that your plant might be H. thomasiana...that was just the mystery surrounding the plant I grew in Natchez years ago and was super cold hardy but never bloomed, and I thought was (but am now hopelessly confused on its real identity) H. acuminata 'Super Cheri.' I did have a 'Super Cheri' as well that I documented but I don't know what happened with it and if I got the two plants mixed up. The 'Super Cheri' I'm growing now came from Plant Group Hawai'i. It appears musoid and I'm sure is the real thing. Where did you source your plant? I'm wondering if you don't actually have 'Carmasita,' which has long blades from its H. psittacorum parents. It's not zingiberoid but you may want to revisit that, as leaf arrangement can be confusing and easy to misidentify with some types. Wait until the inflorescences open fully and then you can likely i.d. it positively. I would say it definitely is not H. hirsuta, which is smaller and has a very identifiably zingiberoid look with a small inflorescence.

In Houston I think you have a good chance of seeing results with your H. x rauliniana. It is, as you say, very strong and attains amazing size in a season. My clump has grown to about 15' this year (most of my stalks reset last winter for some reason, it wasn't very cold but something was unusual enough to cause that uncharacteristic dieback). A fellow in Central Florida had written that he saw it regularly resprout in April or May after a freeze/frost and he had flowers in October.

As far as Sherry Ballester's hybrids from 'Mexican Gold'...most can be found online if you look carefully. Colton Collins (Plant Group) has some of them and they are in and out of stock. I have 'Coral Surprise,' 'Puerto Rico Libre,' and 'Siberia Lemon.' 'Coral Surprise' is very strong but it's still in a container here, I haven't decided exactly where to put it so it lives a constrained life at present. I wouldn't bother with 'Siberia Lemon' where you are if you expect to see any blossoms. It is an impressive clump, very large and erect, sort of like a Strelitzia nicolai (it gets this from its H. caribaea parentage)...but for whatever reason after more than five years in the ground has not given any inflorescences. It tends to reset many of its stalks over winter as well, which is frustrating. A beautiful foliage plant, however and fast-growing once it warms up. I don't really care for 'Bleeding Heart,' 'Doña Aida' or 'German's Luck' so I'm not growing those. But you can find most of them either at Plant Group or from vendors in Puerto Rico on Etsy/eBay. You can also explore the many, many forms of H. latispatha, there is a wide array of colors, sizes, growth habits, etc. I really love 'Distans' even if it carries a reputation as a runner. I'm pretty sure none of us need to worry about that in less than tropical climes, though... 

[thyerr01]

I looked up H. thomasiana as I was not familiar with it and assumed it maybe looked similar - and was immediately struck by the fact that it wasn't even the same growth habit as what I have. I have three 'Super Cheri?' and all were started from rhizomes purchased from Plant Group Hawaii. I'll double check the leaf arrangement tomorrow, and I'll post an update once these flowers fully develop which should hopefully clear things up.

As for the Sherry Ballester hybrids, I have Coral Surprise (which flowers within a year) and Siberia Lemon in the ground, and some Bleeding Heart starting from rhizomes in pots. I also haven't got any flowers from Siberia Lemon, which has grown large this year and recovered from temps in the high teens. I kinda like the semi-pendant look of Dona Aida and German's Luck but haven't really seen them available, and I reached out to all the vendors in PR. I did find one vendor in Florida with German's Luck but they were out of my price range...

@Cindy Adair Do I remember correctly that a lot of your amazing Heliconia came from Sherry Ballester's plants and that you were a subsequent owner of her place? I thought that came up in another thread at some point. Do you know if German's Luck or Dona Aida are readily available down there? I think they are likely to some of the very few cold hardy pendant Heliconia for the US gulf south.

[STEMI]

This thread has been a wealth of knowledge from people who obviously have extensive experience with heliconias. I have really enjoyed reading it!

Does anyone have any advice on the lowest nighttime temperature to maintain a greenhouse at to keep potted heliconias alive? I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

[mnorell]

4 hours ago, STEMI said:

This thread has been a wealth of knowledge from people who obviously have extensive experience with heliconias. I have really enjoyed reading it!

Does anyone have any advice on the lowest nighttime temperature to maintain a greenhouse at to keep potted heliconias alive? I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

My own personal experience is primarily outdoors (both in-ground and in containers), though I used to grow them in my greenhouse when I lived in Mississippi, usually just for winter storage, so the info below is from my own somewhat limited experiences and from what I have observed and learned from others over the years. Others on this forum have much more experience with large collections in greenhouses and hopefully will comment more authoritatively on the subject, particularly on the limitations of space and also greenhouse pests. In general, however, most can grow very well with good year-round appearance with a minimum temp of 60F in winter, but I assume the reason you're asking in the first place is because keeping a greenhouse at that temp in winter in Charlotte could really gouge your bank account...

The species you intend to grow in your greenhouse will make a big difference, since different species come from the hot, sultry lowlands as well as cool, misty mountain elevations, and everything in between. It's not ideal to grow most species in containers, since they really want some root-run and more space. The roots of most are very sensitive to the mucky oxygen-poor area known as the "perched water table" common in containers, particularly when exposed to cold temperatures, a problem that is generally not present when grown in the open in appropriately porous media. Keep in mind also that you will have to contend with greenhouse critters like spider-mites (which love many Heliconia) since they can play to their hearts' content in the absence of their outdoor predators.

The best strategy IMHO if you want them in the greenhouse year-round is to engineer your greenhouse with open, raised bedding and then plant them (or plunge them if removing for summer) in the beds (and best with some heating cables). If not, you will probably want to plant in very porous, chunky aroid- or orchid-media in large, mesh-sided "net-pots," and stick to smaller species and cultivars of the more manageable ones like H. orthotricha, stricta, hirsuta, aurantiaca, zebrina and perhaps psittacorum (the latter being one of the most cold-sensitive). There are also some tougher hybrids with psittacorum (like 'Tropics' or 'Carmasita') that can take a cooler temps during winter nights. H. rostrata can also be successfully flowered in a large container in intermediate temps, but you may need a large/tall greenhouse as it does work its way up to a large size, especially in shadier situations. 

Generally the popular lowland tropical Heliconia (like H. caribaea and H. psittacorum) want winter nighttime temps in the 60s or 70s, with some with a more varied or upland distribution comfortable in the 50s or some 40s or even rare 30s (hirsuta, rostrata, some forms of stricta). Some cultivars or hybrids of H. orthotricha are okay with some cold at night but in my experience really prefer more warmth than their close relative, H. stricta. There are some dwarf forms of H. latispatha (most of them quite comfortable with winter nights in the 40s) that can be purchased, but some of these are runners and will want to take over your space or burst out of their container. H. subulata is an attractive smaller species (but will also expand to a large clump over time) that is incredibly adaptable and does well in Miami but can also take lots of cold (40s, some 30s) at night and maintain a good appearance. It grows wild at Machu Picchu!