Nov 9-15 We will not be processing orders or answering emails

I will be at a Sustainable Agriculture course in Yandina from Saturday the 7th of Nov until the 15 of Nov. We will not be answering emails or processing orders during this time period. Regards, Ann and Scott

Carla Black and Angel Rodriguez First Annual Plant Sale in Panama

If you are lucky enough to be in Panama you can go to this. If not save your pennies so you can book a ticket for next year!! Carla is not only on the Board of Directors at HSI but a passionate heliconia conservationist. She has a large selection of super rare and endangered heliconias. Ann

Dear Gardeners,

You are invited to our first Annual Plant Sale and Garden Open House in Volcán!

Saturday and Sunday August 15^th and 16^th, from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm, we will be open for business and for garden visitors at our home, Finca Las Chichicas.

There will be 45 different kinds of heliconias for sale, as well as other plants that are not often seen in local nurseries.

We have been collecting heliconias from throughout Central and South America for ten years, and the garden holds well over 100 different species and varieties. I’ve selected the strongest, prettiest plants for the sale. They’re guaranteed to grow!

Bill Fitz will bring his fabulous bromeliads from Boquete, and Miriam Lezcano from Sortová will offer a wide selection of potted plants.

We have been working hard on our landscaping, and things are looking good. There are ponds with giant Victoria water lilies, a wet wall filled with epiphytic plants, open vistas, and trails through the woods. You’ll have a great time!

We are neighbors of Sitio Barriles on the road to Caizan; use the public gravel drive just past that tourist attraction, please leave your car in the corner lot (people with limited mobility will be allowed to drive to the garden), and walk 200 meters to our private entry. Wear sturdy shoes, and if you come in the afternoon, bring your umbrella!

See www.heliconiagarden.com for photos of the heliconias for sale and their prices, and for complete driving instructions from the center of Volcán.

We look forward to your visit!

Carla

Carla Black and Angel Rodríguez

gardens@volcanbaru.com

6618-5704 (Carla – English and Spanish)

NEWSFLASH!!!!!Ordering for Spring 2009

We are starting to receive advance orders for spring and can see some stocks are already running low. We carry such a large range of tropicals that it is impossible to keep high numbers of everything on hand. If you would like to guarantee availability we suggest you place and pay for your order now. We will then reserve stock for you to be delivered when you are ready.

Happy Gardening!! Ann

Heliconia Care

In the garden nothing screams tropical like heliconias. There huge banana like leaves and striking inflorescence stop admirers in their tracks.

Heliconias are endemic to Mexico, Central/South America and the Caribbean. There is also another small group found in the Old World Tropics from Samoa to Indonesia. The old world heliconias have green bracts and are pollinated at night by bats in contrast to the colourful new world varieties that are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds. Heliconias grow in a surprising range of habitat from cool mountainous areas, to seasonally dry to the Amazon basin where some like H.standleyeii and H.marginata grow in water.

All of the Eastern coast of Queensland, northern stretches of New South Wales and the more humid parts of the Northern Territory are perfect for growing heliconias. With proper species selection and a good microclimate it is possible to grow heliconias in more marginal areas like Sydney and Melbourne.

Heliconias produce an underground rhizome root system. A rhizome is a section of root that will grow and eventually develop into a heliconia plant. Rhizomes can vary in weight and size depending on the variety and age of the plant.

In general heliconias prefer full to part sun, high humidity, rich well drained soil containing lots of organic matter and generous amounts of water. Heliconias are heavy feeders and thrive with regular applications of fertilizer. There are exceptions to this and you’ll find individual cultural requirements on the heliconia plant profile pages of our online plant store.

Plant your heliconia as soon as possible after receiving. We wrap our rhizomes in shredded newspaper soaked in a seaweed solution. This helps increase plant vigour. You can either pot up your plant in a free draining premium potting mix or plant directly into the ground. Either way only plant to the soil line on the rhizome, never plant too deep. Water with a weak seaweed solution whenever the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Soon the small eyes on the sides of the rhizome will develop into erect shoots that are composed of a soft stem enclosed in overlapping leaf sheaths. Each of these shoots will eventually produce a single inflorescence. The inflorescence is made up of colourful bracts that protect the small flowers. You can leave the inflorescence on the plant as often they will last for months. When they die it is a good idea to cut them back. This will increase air flow, promote new shoots and keep your plants tidy looking. Alternatively you can cut when between 3 and 5 bracts are out and enjoy in an arrangement.

If you are new to growing heliconias you might try starting with our Five for Fifty pack. It’s a selection of tough heliconias that will grow in a wide variety of climates and is suitable for beginner growers.

Happy Gardening! Ann

An Introduction to Brugmansias in Australia

Alarmingly large amounts of Australian gardeners have been infected with an addiction that has afflicted their European and American counterparts for decades. Pop into Dave’s Garden’s Aussie Forum or the defunct Ozgarden and you’ll see what I mean. Young, old, tropical, subtropical, temperate, no one is spared from the seductive highly addictive Angel’s Trumpet. For some it is their alluring scent wafting thru the evening to dawn. For others it’s the explosion of breathtaking blooms that occur often in successive waves. Either way they are left wandering in their gardens mumbling “I’ve gotta have room for just one more, just one more…”

Angel Trumpets have a long history in Australian gardens dating back to colonial times. But in more recent years Australian collectors have been importing seed in from overseas where brugs breeding is more evolved than in Oz. Brugmansia are not true to seed but instead inherit traits from their parents and grandparents. In a batch of 100 seedlings there may be only one exceptional plant. Currently in Australia there is a rainbow assortment of beautiful single flowering brugmansias and a few exquisite doubles have popped up within the last year.

Brugmansia cultivars have an international register; it’s always a good idea to see if the plant you are buying is registered and not a seedling. We only see registered brugmansia and trial them in our garden first.

Brugmansias are hardy fast growing plants once established. They grow in almost all parts of Australia with the exception of extreme arid desert and regions that have long frosty winters.

You can find our ever expanding range of brugmansias in our online plant store.

When purchasing a plant from us you will generally receive a plant in a 4inch spacer saver pot that has been cut back for transport. We recommend that when you receive your plant you water it with a weak seaweed solution. This will help ease stress and promote new leaf bud formation. You can either transplant your plant into the ground or into a larger pot. Potting mix should be a premium free draining mix.

For more information on Angel Trumpets we suggest you look at the Brugmansia Growers International website.