Psittacorums in the Tropical Garden

Psittacorum "Kathy" is an excellent cut flower and landscaping plant

Psittacorums are upright small heliconias indigenous to South America. They are popular cutflowers and selective breeding and hybridization has given us a wide range of colours, bract size and growth form. Psittacorums are often called parakeet flower or parrot flower because of their stunning tropical colours. They prefer a warmer climate but some like Petra will handle a sheltered position as far south as Coastal Sydney. They make perfect plant for mass planting or erosion control. To keep them looking their best it’s is recommended that they are whipper snipper or mowed down every few years and compost or manure added to the bed as they are very heavy feeders. They grow well in full sun, prefer freely draining soils with high organic matter and regular application of complete fertiliser every four to six weeks, particularly during the hot and humid months.

If you are in a tropical or subtropical garden and love having fresh cut flowers then psittacorums are perfect. They flower year round and can last for up to two weeks in a vase. They are not fussy, need little care and take up very little space but will continuously pump up flowers if they have adequate nutrition and water.

"Lillian" is one of my favorite pinks

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say “Heliconias will take over your garden” Like bamboo they suffer from a certain notoriety associated with ignorance and poor plant selection. Just like bamboo heliconias can be loosely divided into running or clumping varieties. Both are rhizomous plants that both send new shoots a long way off (running) or send new shoots up close and form a clump. Before planting either it is important to know which you are planting and whether they are suitable to your garden design.

Psittacorums are the running variety of heliconia that cop the most flack in the gardening world. Easy to propagate, quick to flower, eager to flower in pots and stunning flowers perfect for floral arrangements make the ideal plant in the right position and climate. They are generally readily available in nurseries in the tropics and subtropics and will quickly fill garden beds. However, the same things that make them such a quick fix can make them a nightmare in the long run. Because they like to run! Not happy to stay put psittacorums tend to need space to move; without a barrier to prevent the rhizomes from creeping, they will happily escape into your lawn and crowd out other plants. Psittacorums are not particularly cold hardy so in cooler areas this will not be so much of an issue but from Brisbane up you will need to seriously consider plant placement.

" Lady Di" is breathtakingly beautiful! A real garden standout.

 You can find the range of psittacorums we currently have in stock here. We will be adding to the range in spring

"Peter Bacon" is a stunning combination of pink and orange.

Heliconia Care Growing Heliconias

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.

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.

The best time to purshase heliconias is generally in the spring if your night time temps drop below 16 degrees. This will give your rhizome time to develop and be planted out and establish before winter. You can purchase later in the season if you have a hothouse and are an experienced heliconia grower.

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. Heliconias generally will stop active growth under 16 degrees, at this time it is easy for them to rot if overwatered.

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.



Link to potting up heliconias

Happy Gardening! Ann

Heliconias For Brisbane

I've just added a section on our website called "Heliconias for Brisbane" It is specifically meant for Brisbane growers that are either new to growing heliconias or have less than perfect conditions for heliconias. In a previous article we discussed conditions that heliconias like, in this article I'd like to expand on that a bit for Brisbane gardeners.

Most people are aware that the majority of heliconias are from Central and South America. However, the range of climates they come from can greatly vary. Some like the Caribaeas are from mountainous areas with great drainage and cool nights.These varieties grow well in Northern NSW but find summer heat in Brisbane hard to handle. Others like Sexy Pink are from the Amazon Basin, with constant high humidity and little temperature variation between summer and winter. These varieties may love the humidity but won't tolerate Brisbane's Westerly Winds or sharp temperature drops in winter.
At best Brisbane represents the extremes of the heliconia world. It can be tough on the cooler climate heliconias in summer (too hot) and tough in the warm climate heliconias in winter (too cold) and strong Westerlies can sometimes seal the coffin so to speak.


So how does someone in Brisbane know which heliconias will grow SUCCESSFULLY ?Lush, thriving plants producing lots of flowers, not sulking sadly making your garden look like crap.
The first step is a realistic assessment of your garden. If you can create a protected microclimate it'll help with Westerlies, if your soil is poor or filled with builder's rubble you can bring in quality top soil or add copious amounts of organic matter to correct it. Heavy layers of mulch and a drip irrigation system are the most waterwise way of delivering moisture to your plants. You may not be able to "fix" every problem you have, but a good microclimate will increase the number of varieties you can grow successfully. Lets face it! No heliconia's natural habitat is a small bed filled with builder's rubble on a hot concrete path on the way to the BBQ. But lots of heliconias will grow well in Brisbane even in less than perfect conditions.

If you are looking for smaller heliconias Tropifleur and Guadalope are two gorgeous psitt crosses that do well in Brisbane. Tropifleur is particularly renowned in the heliconia world for it's ability to deal with strong wind. Guadalope has a slightly runny habit but the striking flowers make it well worth growing.
If you are looking for gorgeous pendulous heliconias suitable for Brisbane look no further than H.pendula "Waxy Red" and Rostrata (needs a bit of shade for foliage to look it's best). Rauliniana is another semi pendulous variety that does well in Brisbane.
Any of the Caribaea crosses will do well in Brisbane as does Hot Rio Nites. In addition Yellow Dancer, Papsiana, Maya Blood, Chocolate Dancer, Lingulata Fan, Claw 1&2 are all easy growers in Brisbane.
The Orthotricas will grow in most areas in Brisbane and are certainly well worth growing; but maybe tough to grow in some areas. Given optimal conditions there are many other heliconias that will grow in Brisbane. But I suggest you get your feet wet these varieties if you haven't grown heliconias before.
All these plants are available in the Heliconias For Brisbane section of our online plant store.
If you have any information about growing heliconias in Brisbane please leave a comment. The more information we share the better!
Happy Gardening!!! Ann