Heliconia psittacorum 'Nickeriensis'

Heliconia 'Nickeriensis' (Heliconia psittacorum 'Nickeriensis') is the parakeet heliconia, and the fastest way to make a warm climate garden look tropical. It forms an upright clump about 1.8m tall and 1.5m wide, sending up narrow orange bracts tipped with yellow through the warm months. It grows quickly, spreads by rhizome and draws honeyeaters.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for most of the year. In a tropical or subtropical garden the bracts keep coming from spring to late autumn, and they cut well for a vase.
• Fast to fill a space. A clump multiplies from the rhizome, so a thin new planting reads as an established stand within two seasons.
• Made for heat and humidity. A still, muggy garden that stresses other flowering plants suits it perfectly.
• Bird attracting. Honeyeaters work the bracts for nectar, putting movement into a poolside or courtyard planting.

Where it works best

Mass planting and feature clumps. Plant 1m apart. The clumps merge in two seasons, so a row along a fence becomes a soft screen about 1.8m high.

Poolside. Broad glossy leaves and very little drop, so you get a tropical look near paving without the sweeping a palm creates.

Pots and containers. A pot 500mm or wider suits it, and the restriction keeps the rhizome in check. Potted plants want more water and a feed every six weeks in summer.

Growing heliconia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with shelter from strong wind that tears the leaves. Tropical and subtropical gardens only. It is frost tender, so in cool and temperate districts keep it potted under cover in winter or choose something hardier.

Soil. Rich, moist and well drained, with plenty of compost worked through before planting. It is a hungry plant.

Water and feed. Keep the soil moist through the growing season, watering two or three times a week in hot dry weather. Feed with a complete fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer, and mulch 75mm deep over the shallow rhizomes.

Pruning. Each stem flowers once, so cut spent stems and tatty leaves to ground level. Lift and divide every three to four years to stop the clump crowding itself.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as an established 300mm plant, and in 200mm pots in packs of six for larger plantings. Plants arrive as leafy young clumps well short of full height and usually without flowers. Expect the first bracts in the season after planting and a full clump by the second or third year.

Some leaf tearing or edge browning in transit is normal. Trim the damaged foliage, water in well and new leaves follow within a few weeks. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the heliconia collection
• Designing a tropical garden
• Plants suited to poolside gardens
• Tropical poolside planting ideas

Common questions

Will it take frost?

No. It is frost tender and belongs in tropical and subtropical gardens. In cooler areas grow it in a pot that can be moved under cover for winter.

Does it spread where I do not want it?

It widens by rhizome rather than seeding around the garden. A spade edge once a year, or a pot, keeps it where you want it.

Why has it stopped flowering?

Usually a crowded clump, too much shade or not enough feed. Divide every three to four years, give it sun for at least half the day, and feed in early spring and midsummer.