Adding a touch of the forever fabulous heliconia
HELICONIAS are wonderful plants with fabulous clusters of green foliage that are coupled with striking colourful bracts. The name Heliconia originates from the Greek word ‘helix’, meaning growing in a spiral fashion.
It is the colourful bracts that overlap themselves to form pendulous inflorescences with small florets in a spiral shape. Some species have the spirals pointing skywards and others the opposite direction.
The plants are native to South Asia, the Pacific Islands and the tropical Americas. There are over 100 species of these evergreen perennials. These are used for borders or along fences, as well as to provide some shade to the garden. Varieties First of all, you have to select the type of heliconia suitable for what you wish to achieve in the garden as well as where you intend to include this plant. Before going to buy your plants, it is best you know the basic characteristics of some of the common varieties of heliconia.
There are some varieties such as the Heliconia rostrata, Heliconia wagneriana, and Heliconia collinsiana, which are more tolerant to heat and can happily be sited under direct tropical sunlight. They all produce long strings of pendulous bright red flowers.
One species that we can all grow and be sure to be rewarded with fabulous floral displays would have to be the Sexy Pink. Currently that costs some RM50 per plant at Kuching nurseries. The white and pink flowers are borne in a pendulous fashion, stringing downwards to ‘dance’ in the wind, which makes them even more attractive. The plant has less green as its leaves are a pale yellowish green.
Next the variegated colours of the flowers found with exotic heliconias imported from the West Indies also demand a good price.
The great specimen that is most popular would of course be The Bird of Paradise. It is most sought after by local gardeners, but the plant actually needs cool air to flower, so can only good to be grown in the highlands. Growing tips It is usually good to choose a sunny spot, or a corner to plant the bushy and self-propagating heliconia. Do note that heliconias need partial shade to grow fast and a rich humus based soil that is rather damp but well-drained after the rain.
Beware of how powerful the adventitious roots and stolons are at spreading. New shoots will quickly sprout from the rootstocks or rhizomes. It is good to create a barrier using bricks or plant them in a confined space, such as a big jar to avoid any uncontrolled propagation that can often look rather untidy. Aftercare and uses Maintenance requirements for the heliconia are actually quite simple once the plants are established. All that is required is some fertiliser. Also prune and dispose of the old stalks that have borne flowers, along with any unwanted new sprouts.
Supports may be required for tall and bushy foliage varieties. These resemble banana plants. Strong winds during a thunderstorm would easily blow them over. Wooden stakes or bamboo would work well to give support. Tie the plants to the stakes with some string.
Heliconias are also really easy to take care of as there are practically no pests or diseases that will affect them at present. Although occasionally some caterpillars may chew the leaves, they should not be too much of an issue.
In case of any leaf anthracnose or leaf blotch, just apply some fungicidal control.
The flowers are valuable for floral display and even the leaves are useful for décor purposes. The foliage will give a glossy background for floral arrangements and usually last for over a week.
Home gardeners usually like to know how long it will take heliconias to bloom and whether this is seasonal. The answer is rather difficult to give as there are no specific factors known yet. The important factor is the stalks must be mature and there have to be enough clusters of stems at the base for the plants to produce flower stalks.
How about adding these fabulously showy plants to your garden? Do send me an email if you have questions, comments, or suggestions. Happy gardening.