SteveW

I've bought a few things from this ebay seller before(highly reccommended btw)and have been interested in getting another order together,this time a few heliconias would be nice,but don't know which ones would grow well for me here in the UK.A few other guys over on HTuk wouldn't mind knowing either.
I'm located on the North Kent coast(SE corner of the UK) on a peninsular situated between the river Thames and Medway.i'm not intending to leave them out over winter,just the rest of the year.
Any advice would be greatly received on this,
thanks

Lilith

Well, all zone 8B's are not created equal, just like all zone 10's are not created equal.

As a general rule, though, most heliconia need year round heat, humidity, low wind conditions, and adequate sunlight. Sunlight is the most flexible variable, as there are species that prefer shade, and species that will take anything from 20%-80% sun or even full sun.

Your most limiting factor may be your ability to provide adequate overwintering conditions. Meaning, your SPACE limitations.

The more showy heliconia species commonly available in the trade are many times also the ones that get the largest. The big lobster claws and the pendants (caribaea, bihai, purpurata, stricta, pendula, caribaea x bihai, orthotricha, champneiana....). Many of these are the hardest to bloom in containers as well.

The smaller and less impressive species (psitticorum, psitticorum x spathocircinata) do better in containers, but many people then find them "lacking" and not as impressive was they thought that they would be.

The best "smaller" varieties are the Angustas (Yellow Christmas, Red Holiday), the H. stricta "Dwarf Jamaican", and the H. stricta Sharonii.

The latispatha's will bloom readily in containers, but they can get large over time too.

__________________
11/2008 Outer Banks Marathon 26.2, Kitty Hawk NC--3:50
2/2009 5 Points of Life Marathon, 26.2, Gainesville FL--4:00
4/2009 Boston Marathon, 26.2-- 4:38
10/2009 Marine Corps Marathon, DC, 26.2--457
1/2010 Houston Marathon, 26.2--3:55:09
2/2010 5 Points of Life Marathon, Gainesville--415
Halloween Day 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, DC--
2/2011--Austin TX Marathon--

SteveW

Thanks Lilith,
Thats helped alot.
They've got an Angusta 'red holiday' and a stricta 'firebird' available.Which are looking as the most likely candidates for me to try as space probably would be a problem come next winter.
So could I pick your brains again and ask you what kind of conditions thes two would prefer.My deck faces southeast so depending on where I were to put them they could get anything from 50% sun to almost 100%.Or would they be fine anywhere?
Thanks again

Lilith

I would tend to steer you away from Firebird. I grew it for several years, and it gets large, 8-10 ft tall.
Red Holiday can take shaded conditions, I wouldn't give it full sun.

__________________
11/2008 Outer Banks Marathon 26.2, Kitty Hawk NC--3:50
2/2009 5 Points of Life Marathon, 26.2, Gainesville FL--4:00
4/2009 Boston Marathon, 26.2-- 4:38
10/2009 Marine Corps Marathon, DC, 26.2--457
1/2010 Houston Marathon, 26.2--3:55:09
2/2010 5 Points of Life Marathon, Gainesville--415
Halloween Day 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, DC--
2/2011--Austin TX Marathon--

SteveW

Thanks for your help Lilith.
I'll just get the red holiday then,see how it goes

southlatropical

My H. Rostrata survived through winter in the ground with no protection. They were in a very well drained soil in the warmest area around my house. I just planted H. lathispatha - 'Orange Gyro' in the ground and it is supposed to be cool hardy. I also have H. lingulata - 'Red tip fan' in a pot and it may also turn out to be cool hardy. As Lilith mentioned, what kind of zone 8b you are in matters a lot. We had several warm spells during winter with several days of +70F. Heliconias do not go dormant if they remain too cold and wet they will rot. The warm spells during winter kept them growing just enough to survive.

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Lilith

I have had rostrata in the ground for 3 years now. I never get blooms because it gets frosted too badly every winter, so I've never gotten canes old enough to flower. It will survive, but, you may have to wait longer for the blooms if it gets knocked back.

I have Schiediana in the ground, have had for almost 6 years, ditto with the blooms. ALso have Pedro ortiz in the ground. They survive pretty well getting frosted and even frozen to the ground---always come back, but, no blooms, so its kind of a waste. For about the same foliage style I could have bananas that bloom and fruit, LOL

__________________
11/2008 Outer Banks Marathon 26.2, Kitty Hawk NC--3:50
2/2009 5 Points of Life Marathon, 26.2, Gainesville FL--4:00
4/2009 Boston Marathon, 26.2-- 4:38
10/2009 Marine Corps Marathon, DC, 26.2--457
1/2010 Houston Marathon, 26.2--3:55:09
2/2010 5 Points of Life Marathon, Gainesville--415
Halloween Day 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, DC--
2/2011--Austin TX Marathon--

southlatropical

Once mine get established (should be this year) I am going to protect them over winter. They are planted in an inside corner of the exterior walls of the house. This is the warmest spot in my yard during winter and the dryer vent exits the house through one of the walls. Some variegated ginger that I planted there last fall has a few stalks that survived over winter. I am going to erect a temporary greenhouse against the walls and add heat on the coldest nights (below 45F). With 3 kids we do a lot of laundry so hopefully the frequent blasts from the dryer vent will keep things toasty during the day. In this same spot this year I have also planted Ti plant, Giant BOP, and Orange BOP. The plants I got last year were too small to be worth all the trouble of doing this last winter.

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Lilith

I think with that scenario you have a good chance unless they get too tall, LOL.
I removed all the rostrata from my greenhouse when it got 18-20 ft tall. It was pretty magnificent in a way to be able to walk under it, but, it was a rampant spreader and threatened to eat everything in its path.

__________________
11/2008 Outer Banks Marathon 26.2, Kitty Hawk NC--3:50
2/2009 5 Points of Life Marathon, 26.2, Gainesville FL--4:00
4/2009 Boston Marathon, 26.2-- 4:38
10/2009 Marine Corps Marathon, DC, 26.2--457
1/2010 Houston Marathon, 26.2--3:55:09
2/2010 5 Points of Life Marathon, Gainesville--415
Halloween Day 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, DC--
2/2011--Austin TX Marathon--

southlatropical

At this point I would love to have that problem. When they get too big I'll just let em' freeze one year and take divisions to trade or give away in order to thin them out. It would just make my day to have a big stand blooming in the ground for an entire season.

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southlatropical

I forgot that I recently uploaded this picture of the giant BOP that is planted in the area. If it were not for the electic meter I could just box off the entire area with the temp greenhouse. There to the lower left is the outlet I can use to add heat, and in the background is the Ti plant. The Orange Gyro is planted between the BOP and the wall with the outlet. The H. rostrata is planted against the brick wall. I know it will be crowded, but I like that look anyway. It's not visible, but there is a narrow brick path that runs in front of the meter. The meter reader is going to feel like he is lost in a jungle by August.

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mnorell

Isaac--

May I suggest you immediately put your red-tip fan lingulata in the ground...My yellow spiral lingulata started out as a small plant last year. Around last May, I planted it in full sun and it grew to about 6' tall with enormous leaves and threw a flower in late December (just in time to be frozen out in our 15-hour, 23F freeze on 3 January!). The plant survived the winter here in Natchez, and I'm a bit north of you here, though in a downtown microclimate right above the MS river on a bluff. The fact that you kept a ti plant up through the winter tells me you fared a little better than I in your protected nook, mine all went to the ground and are just now sprouting anew from the bases.

I'm sure the lingulata will do well for you. The secret is to plant it in full sun, give it fertilizer, plant it in a raised bed in a well-draining soil, preferably a mix of sand, wood-chips and composted manure or something similar. Once it is large enough it should survive with a decent mulching as mine did. Stalk-bases, though frozen just about to the ground, stayed green and are good, solid tissue. There is currently a "bump" emerging from one of the bases, this will no doubt be the next shoot. A large clump of this species is known to flower in less than a season if given a hot position with lots of sun and rich, well-drained soil. My red-tip fan lingulata was smaller going into winter and still appears to be alive but the jury is still out on whether it will return. Size of the rhizome has lots to do with their ability to survive!

Others that survived the winter for me here and are now in active growth are: subulata (returning faster than the cannas!), angusta 'Red Xmas' and 'Pedro Ortiz.' My latispathas still show no signs of life yet, hopefully they're still alive. Same for schiedeana and rostrata, though schiedeana is definitely still alive since the stem-bases are still strong and green. Drainage, rich soil and a warm position in full sun (except for a few species such as angusta) will give you the best chance of survival and blooming. The problem of course is that in this freeze-to-the-ground 9a climate we have to have types that will bloom in a single season. You may be able to keep a few stems alive at least in a mild winter, but remember that it's not unheard of for latispatha to bloom in one season once the clumps get big, and there are others as well. Definitely keep trying!

mskitty38583

if your mail carrier gets lost in the jungle, oh what a way to go. talk about paradise. i love the way you planted your bop w/ the surrounding plantings. i want to plant mine outside, but id have to seriously cover for winter.

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