Re: Heliconia advice
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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