Heliconia psittacorum 'Pearl'

Heliconia 'Pearl' (Heliconia psittacorum) is the tropical clump that gives you cut flowers and structure from the same plant. It grows to about 1.5m tall and 1.2m wide, sending narrow cream and white bracts up above glossy paddle leaves from spring into autumn. It is fast, it spreads by rhizome, and it tolerates the wet ground that defeats most feature plants.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers you can cut. The upright bracts hold well over a week in a vase, and an established clump keeps producing through the warm months.
• Fast to fill a space. It spreads by rhizome, so a small planting becomes a solid clump within a season or two in a warm garden.
• It likes water. Wet feet tolerant, humidity tolerant and heat tolerant, so it thrives beside a pond, in a low damp bed or in a humid courtyard.
• Cream rather than the usual orange. The pale bracts read as calm, which suits a poolside or courtyard where hot colours jar.

Where it works best

Poolside. Broad clean leaves, no thorns and no heavy leaf drop make it a sensible pool surround, and it copes with the humidity and reflected heat.

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a lush unbroken bed. The rhizomes fill the gaps and the planting reads as a single mass within two seasons.

Pots and feature planting. A pot 400mm or wider holds a clump well and lets you move it under cover if you sit on the cool edge of its range.

Growing Heliconia 'Pearl' in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade to full sun, with part shade giving better leaf condition in hot inland areas. This is a tropical and subtropical plant only. It is frost tender, so cooler gardens need it in a pot that can shift under cover for winter.

Soil. Rich, moisture retentive soil with plenty of organic matter. Dig compost or aged manure through the bed before planting. It will grow in ground that stays damp, which few feature plants will.

Water and feed. Keep the water up through the warm months; this is not a plant to let dry out. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again in mid summer, and mulch 75mm deep to hold moisture.

Pruning. Cut spent flowering stems and tired leaves off at ground level. Each stem flowers once, so removing it makes room for the next. If the clump looks rough by late winter, cut it to the ground in early spring.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 300mm pots and 200mm packs of six. Both arrive as an established clump of stems rather than a single shoot, which matters because a clump flowers sooner than a bare division. The packs of six suit filling a bed; one 300mm plant is enough for a pot.

Leaves can tear or bruise in transit and older leaves may yellow. That is cosmetic, and new growth replaces them within weeks. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the whole heliconia range
• Plants for poolside gardens
• Designing a tropical garden that stays lush
• Low maintenance tropical poolside plants

Common questions

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender, and a real frost burns the foliage to the ground. In cool gardens grow it in a pot and shift it under cover for winter.

Does it spread too far?

It creeps by rhizome, steadily rather than aggressively. A garden edge, a path or a pot contains it, and unwanted shoots pull out easily from soft soil.

How long do the cut flowers last?

Around seven to ten days in a vase. Cut in the morning with a long stem and change the water every couple of days.

Can it grow indoors?

Not really. It wants the light and humidity of an outdoor tropical position; indoors it stretches and stops flowering.