Heliconia Growing Notes

Notes: Most of these are selected for their cold tolerance (yes, it still gets cold in Brisbane!) and hardiness, however for subtropical gardeners I do not recommend growing Heliconia psittacorums as these do not earn their keep in the garden – they are fairly runny and look terrible if conditions are not quite right. A better choice for the subtropics would be a psittacorum x spathocircinata like ‘Tropifleur’ (the cross between the two species seems to make them hardier and very wind resistant) or the numerous varieties of cannas that are available if you want a similar look. Psittacorums would be fine in the tropics, but they do spread quite a lot and are best treated as short lived perennials.

Heliconias are best planted in the warmer months of the year, in our subtropical winter they are susceptible to fungal spot diseases (especially in the first year after planting) and will not grow very much until the temperatures are close to 30º celsius (86º Fahrenheit).

It is nearly impossible to overwater heliconias – they will soak up as much water as you give them – however they still need drainage. They love a thick layer of sugarcane mulch and lots of organic matter in the soil.

Most varieties are best grown in at least some partial shade, with a few hours of direct sunlight a day.