Steve L

Olaf,

I've been growing heliconia in containers since 1994 on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Even here in zone 9, they are very problematic from December to February. I over winter mine in a heated greenhouse keeping the temperatures at around 60. I supply plenty of humidity and air circulation. They don't like this environment at all. By the end of February, they look awful and many of the mature stalks stop growing. This is important because it is the second year, mature stalks that bloom the following summer. Spider mites are a bad problem in this environment and because I cram so many plants into the greenhouse, leaves from one plant touch the leaves of another plant and those little devils just go from one plant to another. I've had good years where I've been able to control the mites and had marvelous blooms the following summer(see my gallery for pictures of a couple of dozen heliconia) but it has taken great effort. Growing them inside your house I would imagine would be next to impossible. Remember, they don't like temperatures below 50 for any extended period of time and require very high humidity. They are ultra tropical. You would be nursing them for too many months indoors for them to survive. I don't know where you live but anyone trying them outside of zone 8 will have a monumental task ahead of them.

Steve