Heliconia psittacorum x spathocircinata ‘Tropics’

Heliconia 'Tropics' (Heliconia psittacorum x spathocircinata 'Tropics') is a free flowering parakeet heliconia and the quickest route to tropical colour in a warm garden. Clumps reach about 1.8m tall and 1m across, sending up slim orange and yellow bracts on straight stems above paddle shaped leaves. It flowers through the warm months rather than in one burst, and spreads by rhizome, so a single plant becomes a stand.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers freely. The parakeet heliconias produce bracts through the warm season instead of once a year.
• Flowers you can cut. Long straight stems and bracts that hold for weeks in a vase. This type is grown commercially for cut stems.
• Fast to fill a bed. Fast growing and spreading by rhizome, so a short row closes into a solid clump in a season or two.
• Bird attracting. Honeyeaters work the bracts for nectar, bringing movement to the garden through summer.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 60cm apart. The rhizomes knit together within a season, so the bed reads as one stand rather than a row of plants.

Feature planting. Against a dark wall or beside a pool the bracts carry a scheme on their own. Plant three or five, because a single plant looks stranded.

Pots and containers. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, and containment keeps the spread in check. Expect to divide every two to three years, because it fills a pot fast.

Growing Heliconia in Australia

Position and climate. Tropical and subtropical gardens only. It is frost tender, and a single frost will knock the foliage down. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; part shade suits hot inland gardens where leaves would otherwise scorch.

Soil. Rich, moisture retentive and well drained. Dig compost through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep. Heliconias are greedy feeders that resent dry, thin soil.

Water and feed. Keep the moisture up through spring and summer, easing back in winter. Feed monthly in the warm months with a complete fertiliser, or a controlled release product in early spring and again in midsummer.

Pruning. Each stem flowers once and then declines, so cut spent stems at ground level rather than trimming the tops. Divide congested clumps in spring to keep flowering strong.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: 300mm pots and 200mm packs of six. The packs suit planting a bed at 60cm spacing and arrive as young divisions with a few leaves and an established rhizome. The 300mm plants suit a pot or a single feature position.

Heliconias ship with the foliage cut back or tied, and some leaf damage in transit is normal. What matters is the rhizome, where next season's stems come from. Expect leaves within a few weeks in warm weather and flowering in the first or second warm season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to design a tropical garden
• Browse the full heliconia range
• Compare tropical garden plants
• Plants suited to subtropical climates

Common questions

Will it survive winter in Sydney or Melbourne?

Not in the open ground. It is frost tender and belongs in tropical and subtropical gardens. In cooler cities grow it in a large pot and shift it under cover before the first frosts.

Does it spread out of control?

It widens into a clump rather than running long distances underground. Dividing every two to three years keeps it in place and improves flowering.

When does it flower?

Mainly through the warm months, and close to year round in a frost free tropical garden. Feeding and steady watering make more difference than anything else.