28” Variegated Heliconia

Bios

Imagine a mini banana tree with flowers shooting upright from it’s sinewy stem and there you have a Heliconia. Here is a species that can be seen growing in clumpy formations in curated tropical gardens across South East Asia. There are over a 150 varieties of Heliconia with most of them sporting deep green leaves and some, like Lady Di having sharp swathes of white running roit through its green foliage. This specific cultivar is also called the Parakeet Heliconia because its flowers resemble the beak of a parrot.

Adopting and caring for a Heliconia

Adopting: It’s not difficult to love a Heliconia. Here is an easy to grow species that loves full tropical sun in an open spot as it does a bright balcony or an indoor spot in the home.

Locating: As a lover of light, look for happy well-lit spaces for these plants can thrive. You can locate it near an open window or on a bright balcony. Or if you are one of those lucky ones to have an open garden a Heliconia will reward you with flowers all year round.

Potting: Since these plants are natives of the tropics they need porous, well-drained soils. They do well in a 30:30:30:10 mix of coco-peat, compost, coarse sand and Perlite

Watering: If you are growing them in a pot and you have a good, draining soil you can’t overwater a Heliconia. Located outdoors these plants, like any tropical varieties can take a lot of water even though waterlogged conditions are not the most ideal for them.

Fertilising: If your potting mix is right, these plants will not require too much fertiliser. However nourishing them with an organic liquid fertiliser two or three times a year will help them do well. If you are using a chemical mix, ensure that they don’t touch the stalk or its leaves. This could damage the plant.

Most of the 190 or so known species of Heliconia are natives of tropical Americas, but have become established in many parts of the world specially South East Asia, Asia Pacific and even the Middle East

Did you know

The showy structures we call flowers of the Heliconia are actually modified leaves which hide tiny, insignificant flowers that are full of nectar