Heliconias colorful addition to Treasure Coast landscapes, gardens

Heliconias originate from the rainforest where they grow as understory plants.

 In Central and South Florida, they are grown as landscape plants and in cut flower gardens. The flowers produced and the luscious foliage are beautiful and create a tropical feel to the yard and around pools and patios.

They are herbaceous, mostly growing from underground rhizomes and range in size from 1.5 feet to 15 feet tall. 

Clump forming and spreading, Heliconias require a bit of vigilance to keep the plant clumps contained but dig out any suckers growing out of bounds. The shoots make great additions to flower arrangements and lovely plant gifts for friends and family.

Two types of Heliconia are common in Treasure Coast gardens: Parrot’s Beak and Lobster Claw. Each requires specific locations best suited for their installation.

Lobster Claw Heliconia, also known as Heliconia rostrata, is a clump-forming tropical plant producing long pedant flowers. The banana-like leaves arise directly from the rhizomes. They are dark green, attached to long leaf stems and easily tattered by strong winds. The leaf blades are 2–4 feet long and 6–12 inches wide. The flowers arise from stalks at the leaf joints. The colorful portions of the flowers are bracts or modified leaves that are red at the base with the parrot-beak tips tending to yellow, edged with green. The plants are 5 to 6 feet tall and the flowers up to a foot long.

Lobster Claw Heliconia is the perfect plant for a tropical look. It is great around pools, in containers and as a background in borders and beds, particularly those protected from the strong afternoon sun. Fabulous lobster-claw flowers are great for indoor arrangements and last for weeks after cutting.

Parrot’s beak Heliconia, also known as Heliconia psittacorum, is a tough, fabulous plant for Treasure Coast landscapes. It is moderate in size, 3 to 6 feet tall, but more often seen in the 3 to 4-foot range.

The orange or red/yellow blooms also appear from the area where the leaves attach to the stem. Its running habit makes it great for beds and providing screens for air conditioning units and garbage cans, but  it may also run into areas where it is not wanted.

Heliconias prefer moist, rich soils, but do not grow in standing water. They are moderately drought tolerant and are only slightly salt tolerant. Provide supplemental irrigation during the dry season – a low volume system reduces the amount of water used. Partial shade is best for dark green leaves, though full sun is tolerated.

Heliconias are heavy feeders; apply a balanced complete fertilizer regularly according to the label 4 to 6 times per year. 

Thinning is necessary for neat looking plants. Start by cutting the flower stalks at ground level. However, plant clumps can still become thick and unsightly, dig up the rhizomes every few years to divide and thin.

Carol Cloud Bailey is a Landscape Counselor & Horticulturist. Send questions to carol@yard-doc.com or visit www.yard-doc.com for more information.