We supply heliconias, gingers,cordylines to landscapers and landscape architects in Tropical Queensland but can also supply to other states in Australia. Our stock is strong healthy and of the highest quality available. Due to our unique rainforest environment we can grow plants in a lot more sun. We also grow using Biological Farming techniques which mean our plants are always well nourished and vigorous. Our high quality stock is grown outside in full sun ready to be planted into your next landscaping project.
In addition to rhizomes we also carry a large variety of potted plants. Potted plants can be freighted with a minimum of 3 trays (around 20 plants) to most locations on the east coast of Australia. We can also grow to order anything listed on our website with a 20% deposit. Potted plants will give you an instant effect for not much more than the cost of rhizomes. If you are a landscaper, home gardener or owner of a motel/caravan park looking for a high quality plants this is a great opportunity.
Discounts may apply on wholesale orders over $500.
We’ve expanded our catalogue to give you an even a larger range of feature and accent plants for discerning clients looking for something different. We are always happy to offer advice to landscaping professionals.
Contact us on 0740685 058 for more details and availability.
It would be nice if everyone could live and garden on a tropical island but unfortunately we can’t. However with good species selection and understanding how to create a good microclimate even some Victorians can give their gardens a Resort Style Tropical Feel.
Looking at a zone map of Australia is a good place to start. It will give you an idea of what kind of climate you are in. Australian zone maps tend to be different because our winters are a lot warmer.
Temperature isn’t the only determinant of plant survival. Soil moisture, humidity, wind and position in the garden can also play a significant role. Also some tropical plants don’t tolerate wet winters (like in Sydney) and will rot. And just to complicate things further the microclimate of your garden will strongly influence your success. If you understand the theory behind microclimates you can often grow a wider selection of tropical plants successfully. In previous articles we touched on how to help create a good microclimate for tropical plants. Microclimate is particularly important in areas where conditions are less than ideal for tropical plants. Walls are often used for protecting plants from strong winds and can radiate heat at night and keep plants cooler during the day in semi arid climates. Planting a canopy to protect from frosts and increase humidity, adding a small water feature or paving can all add to creating a microclimate. Cities are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas due to “Urban Island Heat” This is a bonus for tropical gardeners in places like Sydney and Melbourne.
Now that you have a better understanding of your climate and creating a good microclimate for tropicals it’s time to get planting!!
Spring is best for purchasing your tropical plants. You can put them in a pot until they establish roots and plant them out into your garden by summer. That will give you maximum growth before winter hits. If you have a Greenhouse then you can get your plants any time. Just remember many tropicals will go semi dormant if the temp drops below 15 deg.
While we think of costus and gingers as tropical plants a surprisingly high number come from places like China and the Himalayas.
The easiest of all gingers for cool climate gardeners to grow is the hedychiums. They will even grow in frost zones but will just become deciduous. Tropical plants grown in cooler climate gardens will often be shorter than those grown in tropical and subtropical areas but still flower well. Their lush tropical foliage and beautifully scented flowers make hedychiums a must have for cool climate tropical plant lovers. They can be used in borders, as bedding plants or grown in containers.
Hedychium coccineum will survive an astonishing -18 deg. The powdery stems have a lovely purplish hue and the large flaming orange flower spikes sizzle with tropical colour in summer. H. coccineum will tolerate a wide range of conditions from full sun to light shade.
Hedychium aurantiacum is an Indian variety similar to H. coccineum but with more narrow upright leaves.
sheltered semishaded position. It’s delicate white flowers and strange corkscrew stamens make it well worth growing.
Dr Moy will grow down to -15 deg Dr. Moy is a hybrid of flavum and coccineum and semi dwarf in habit. It’s a heavy bloomer with tangerine coloured flowers but it’s the variegated foliage that makes it one of the best hedychium hybrids ever produced. We will have it available in spring 2010.
Cream hedychium will grow down to -10 deg and is a very robust grower with a long flowering season.
Many zingibers will also grow outside of the tropics and subtropics.
Z. spectabile will grown down to -7 deg but may become deciduous. Just be careful of wet winters by either putting it in a very well drained bed or keeping it in a large pot.
Z. zerumbut darceyi is deciduous and will grow down to -10 deg. It has bold variegated foliage and flowers basally. It is sometimes called shampoo ginger.
Some Alpinias are also a good choice for cool climate gardeners.
Alpinia formosana will drown down to -12 deg and is native to Taiwan. The subtle pinstripe variegation makes this alpinia an elegant addition to any tropical garden.
Alpinia galangal is an edible ginger often used in SE Asian cooking. It will grow down to -12 deg. The foliage is lush, dense and tropical while the tiny aromatic white flowers are held on large sprays during summer.
Alpinia nutans will grow down to -10 deg. It is often called false cardamom and has foliage with an exquisite aromatic fragrance. It grows in small dense clumps( under 1 metre tall) with tough glossy leaves.
Alpinia zerumbet or “Shell Ginger’ likes a warm sheltered sunny spot with plenty of water and will grow down until -12 deg. The longs sprays of drooping bracts resemble pearly shells from which orchid like flowers appear.
Most costus species aren’t suitable for temperate gardens but few have proven themselves as very hardy.
Costus barbatus will grow all the way down to coastal Sydney in a sheltered position. It has lovely red bracts that elongate with age that appear from both the top of the leaves and also basally. The backsides of the leaves are fuzzy.
Costus pictus will grow to -12 deg. It is the easiest to grow and hardiest costus for cold climates. It produces tall cane like stems with attractive markings resembling hieroglyphics. The stems are used as foliage in flower arrangements; it flowers basally with a green beehive like flower. The thick stems will tolerate frost but during prolonged frosts cut back as the plant will reshoot in spring.
Costus pulverulentus grows down to a nast -7 deg it has fuzzy leaves and long overlapping scarlet bracts that appear from the top. It makes a very good bed filler.
Costus spiralis or “strawberry bud costus” as it is often called grows to -4 deg. The pink flowers emerge from rounded deep pink bracts. It makes an excellent cut flower.
Costus woodsonii or “French Kiss” is deciduous in cold climates. It has small bright red cones on tall cane like stems. It is often grown commercially as a cut flower.
Costus scaber or “Indianhead costus” will grow down til -10 deg and flowers for 9 months of the year. It is naturally evergreen but will adapt to a deciduous habit and reshoot in bring in frost prone climates. It is the largest of the cold hardy costus.
Curcumas are exclusively deciduous plants. They have evolved their dormancy to cope with dry seasons in monsoonal climates. Winter dormancy makes them some of the hardiest of the neotropical gingers.
Any of the curcumas listed in our plant catalogue is suitable for cool climates but Curcuma australasica is the hardiest of the curcumas and is also native to the Top End of Australia. It is often called” The Cape York Lily”
In some areas of Victoria (like Melbourne) heliconias will grow. However, this will depend strongly on microclimate. It is outside of our level of expertise to recommend heliconias for gardens in Victoria without actually seeing the garden and soil testing.
Heliconias for Coastal NSW down to Sydney include Tropic, Yellow Dancer, Chocolate Dancer, Papsiana, Rostrata, Lingulata Fan, Red Tip Fan, Pendula Bright Red, Pendula Red Waxy, Hot Rio Nites, Richmond Red, Giant Red Claw, Black Cherry, Maya Blood and Kauwalchi. Information about them can be found in our plant catalogue.
Many of the other tropical plants available on our website are suitable for cool climate tropical gardens and later this month we’ll be focusing on aroids, cordylines, brugmansia and pandanus for cooler climates.
A tropical resort style paradise can be achieved even in a cool climate with proper species selection and a good microclimate. We hope this information will prove useful to you in creating your own paradise.
We'd like to see your plants. Can we come visit?
You are welcome to pick orders up but we do not have a retail garden center or display gardens. In order to do so you will need to place an order and set up an appoinment to pick it up.We are in a remote area where access can be limited due to flooding. We do not have full range of stock in pots. Our stock is dug out and prepared for shipping which makes on the spot ordering impossible. Sadly, we often get phone messages from people who haven't contacted us in advance and are disappointed that they can't just pop in. The same goes for people who pop in without calling , they are usually greeted by our 3 overly enthusiastic Red Heelers that will jump up on you the minute you leave your car :) In addittion we have been hit by a catagory 5 cyclone and are very busy repairing our home, gardens and business. Please respect that we cannot have people randomly dropping by. If you have placed an order and would like to pick it up call us on 40685 058.
The best place in all of Australia to see heliconias is Flecker Botanical Gardens in Cairns. They don't hack into their clumps, send their flowers to market or constantly break them up for stock as we do. The Flecker Botanical Gardens in Cairns is well worth a trip and has beautiful display gardens.
What happens after I pay for my order?
After we recieve confirmation that the order has been paid we send it out on the following Monday or Tuesday. Payment needs to be cleared by 9 am on Friday to go out the following Monday or Tuesday as we need time to prepare and pack the plants..
Do you ship to WA?
No, due to quarantine restrictions we don’t ship overseas or to WA.
How do you ship?
We are now shipping via Eparcel. eParcel is Australia Post's Internet enabled freight system. The delivery status of a package can be checked via the Internet atwww.eparcel.com.au
Please make sure you include your mailing address on the order form and are available to recieve and pot up your plants as they are perishable items.
Do you have an order minimum?
There is no minimum order anymore. How much is postage? We now have a flat postage fee per state. That means the more you order the more you save! Our rates are as followes Qld= $15 NSW=$20 ACT=$20 Vic=$20 SA= $25 NT=$25
What size plant am I purchasing?
The plants in the photos are of mature plants. In most cases you’ll be purchasing a rhizome, pup or young plant that has been barerooted. The shopping cart indicates what size/type plants are available to purchase.Depending on availability we may substitute a rhizome for barerooted plant and visa versa. Foliage is ften cutback for transport.
What should we do once we receive our plant?
We recommend potting your plant up in a well drained potting mix, adding a small dose of organic fertilizer and putting them instrong indirect light until roots establish in the pot. Once they have established you can plant them in your garden in a good sized hole with a bit of compost or organic fertilizer. Mulching is also recommended. potting heliconias link.
Most of the plants we sell are from Tropical and Subtropical climates. Some will grow outside of the subtropics but will need more care. We have indicated a minimum temperature that the plant will be able to survive at a few nights a year but zone maps can also be helpful in deciding if the plants you have chosen will do well for you. Generally, in marginal areas ability to grow will depend on appropriate species selection and creating a suitable microclimate. Heliconias for Brisbane and Well Drained Rich Soil: What Does It Mean? Are two articles on our blog that you may find useful.
I’ve heard North Queensland heliconias don’t grow in S.E. Queensland. Is that true?
Absolutely not. When you buy a heliconia rhizome/plant you are not only buying the genetic material but also the stored energy that will send up new healthy shoots quickly. Our stock is famous for its health and vigor. In addition, while most S.E. Queensland grower’s stock is still dormant, ours is already actively growing. This means you can get your rhizomes in early before it gets too hot and while there is still a full growing season ahead before winter. In the early days a few disreputable growers flogged inferior, nonvigorous stock off to our southern neighbors and the myth was born.
When is the best time to put plants in?
It can vary from region to region, garden to garden but as a general rule early spring. What sort of fertilizer should I use? Heliconias and gingers are heavy feeders so any slow release fertilizer in spring, mid summer and autumn is fine. We also give them foliar sprays of kelp and fish emulsion in winter and in stressful conditions. There are a number of articles on the blog designed to help you get the most out of your garden please read them.
I'd like an instant garden. How can I get this? Contact us to find out if we have the stock you are after in pots. Our freight carrier generally needs a minum of 5 trays (between 20-30 plants)
