Heliconia stricta ‘Bucky’

Heliconia stricta 'Bucky' (Heliconia stricta 'Bucky') is a compact clumping heliconia that holds upright red and yellow bracts clear above paddle shaped leaves. It reaches about 1.5m tall and 1m wide, small enough for a courtyard bed or a large pot. The bracts hold their colour for weeks on the plant and cut well for a vase.

Why you'll love it

• Bracts that stand above the foliage. The red and yellow heads sit clear of the leaves instead of hiding in them, so the colour actually reads from across the garden.
• Compact for a heliconia. At 1.5m by 1m it stays in scale where the larger species would swamp a suburban bed.
• Quick to form a clump. New shoots push up through the warm months, so one plant looks like a group within two seasons.
• Nectar for birds. Honeyeaters work the bracts through the flowering season in warm gardens.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One clump against a rendered wall or a dark foliage backdrop gives a tropical bed its focal point without needing anything else.

Mass planting. Set plants 60cm apart and they close into a continuous band of upright foliage, useful along a fence line or a pool surround where you want height without a hedge.

Pots and courtyards. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, kept moist and fed. A potted clump can also be shifted under eaves if a cold night is forecast.

Growing Heliconia Bucky in Australia

Position and climate. Filtered light, or morning sun with afternoon shade, gives the cleanest leaves; harsh all day sun scorches the edges. This is a tropical and subtropical plant. It is frost tender, so anywhere that frosts it needs to be grown in a pot and moved under cover for winter.

Soil. Rich, moist and free draining. Work plenty of compost or aged manure through the bed before planting, then mulch 75mm deep to hold moisture and keep the roots cool.

Water and feed. Steady water is the main job, as it will not tolerate drying right out in summer. Feed a complete fertiliser monthly from spring through to autumn.

Pruning. Each stem flowers once, so cut spent stems to ground level as the bracts brown off. Tidy wind torn leaves anytime, and lift and divide crowded clumps in spring every three or four years.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size, a 300mm pot, which gives you an established plant with several stems rather than a fresh division. Broad soft leaves tear in transit, so some edge damage on arrival is normal and quickly replaced in warm weather.

Expect new shoots within four to six weeks in the warm season, and the first bracts in the first or second summer after planting. Plants are 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 bract colours across the heliconia collection.
• Try Heliconia stricta 'Dimples' for red bracts edged in green.
• Plan the whole bed with our guide to designing a tropical garden.
• Browse companions in tropical plants.

Common questions

Can I grow it outside the tropics?

Only in frost free warm temperate pockets, and even then growth is slower and flowering lighter. In any garden that frosts, grow it in a pot and shift it under cover through winter.

How far apart should I plant a group?

Sixty centimetres apart. At that spacing the clumps knit into one mass in two seasons while each plant still gets light and air.

Does it look rough in winter?

In the subtropics it slows down and the older leaves can tatter after a cold snap. Leave them until spring, then cut the worst back as new shoots appear.

Will it grow indoors?

Not for long. It needs bright light and real humidity, so a sheltered patio or courtyard is a far better bet than a living room.