Daintree Heliconia

Daintree Heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum x spathocircinata 'Daintree') is the quickest way to make a warm garden look tropical. Clumps of upright paddle leaves reach about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, and through the warm months they push slender orange and gold bracts well clear of the foliage. It grows fast, spreads by rhizome, and honeyeaters work the flowers constantly.

Why you'll love it

• Colour for most of the year. Orange to golden bracts appear over a long warm season, on wiry stems that also cut well for a vase.
• Fast to fill a bed. The clump spreads by underground rhizome, so a sparse planting becomes a solid mass in two seasons.
• Screening at head height. At 2m tall it blocks a low fence line or a pool pump without the bulk of a shrub.
• It likes wet ground. Wet feet tolerant and humidity tolerant, so the damp corner that kills other plants is where this one performs.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a lush mass planting. At that spacing the clumps merge within two seasons while each still gets light to flower.

Screening and privacy. A double row at 1m spacing gives a soft 2m screen far faster than a hedge, though it thins in cool weather, so treat it as seasonal cover.

Poolside and feature planting. The upright habit and bold leaf suit a pool surround or the base of a palm, where the orange bracts read against green.

Growing Daintree Heliconia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with heaviest flowering in sun and better leaf condition in dappled light. This is a tropical and subtropical plant and it is frost tender, so anywhere that frosts is a pot and shelter proposition.

Soil. Rich, moisture holding soil with plenty of organic matter. Dig compost through the bed and mulch 75mm deep. It tolerates wet ground that would rot most plants, but it still wants air in the root zone.

Water and feed. Water generously through the warm months and never let an established clump dry out hard, or the leaf edges brown and tear. Feed a complete controlled release fertiliser in early spring and mid summer.

Pruning. Cut spent flowering stems to ground level, since each stem flowers only once. Lift and divide the clump every three or four years to stop the centre going bare.

What to expect when it arrives

Three options are grown: 300mm pots sold singly, and 175mm and 200mm pots in packs of six. Single 300mm plants are established clumps close to flowering size. The packs of six are the sensible way to plant a bed or screen line, arriving as smaller divisions that catch up quickly in warm weather.

Leaves are large and soft, so some splitting or edge damage in transit is normal and grows out with the next flush. Plant within a few days and expect new shoots within four to six weeks in the warm season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full heliconia range.
• Browse other tropical plants for the same bed.
• Read how to design a tropical garden that stays lush.
• See our picks for low maintenance poolside planting.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant them?

One metre apart. The rhizomes spread outward and fill the gaps themselves, so closer planting only costs money and crowds the clumps before they flower.

Will it survive a frost?

No. The foliage collapses at the first hard cold. In subtropical gardens a light chill knocks it back and it reshoots in spring; colder districts need a heated glasshouse.

Is it invasive?

It spreads steadily by rhizome within a bed rather than seeding around, so it is easy to contain with an edge or by lifting stray shoots.

How long until it flowers?

Usually within the first warm season for 300mm plants, and a season later for the smaller pack sizes.