Re: Hardy Heliconias for California

Date:	Sun, 10 Dec 2000 13:32:50 -0800 (PST)
From:	david feix <davidfeix@yahoo.com>  | Block
address
Subject:	Re: Some late fall showy bloomers/Hardy
Heliconia varieties
 
--- "Mach T. Fukada" <fukada@aloha.net> wrote:
> Nan,
> 	there should be many Heliconia that would thrive in
> San Diego
> (temprature wise). From what I recall, some of the
> better ones were grown
> in Mt. View, HI at about 2500-3000+ feet elevation. 
> The lows get down to
> the point where frost is possible (same as here in
> Kula).

The limiting factor for getting them to grow in
California seems to be getting the right stock, low
elevation collected Heliconia plants, or species which
only grow in lowland tropics, just don't make it
through our winters, or may never get enough heat
buildup to bloom.  I mention H. psittacorum as a good
example.  I starting seeing this as an indoor plant at
Home Depot several years ago, and thought I'd give it
a try again, but wasn't able to keep it happy even as
a sunny indoor plant.(Similar to my experience with
Adenium obesum).  Definitely not a successful outdoor
plant here, as it wants night time temps above 50F. 
There are many, many different color hybrids of this
plant, but none have been bred for cold tolerance, as
far as I know.

The Heliconia species which have been proven here for
southern California are at least nine in number.  Gary
Hammer of Desert to Jungle Nursery will be your best
local source for outdoor hardy Heliconias.  He has
collected the varieties he sells from above 4000 foot
elevation near Orizaba, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico. 
These parts of Mexico do get some winter frost, and
therefore the plants
are all root hardy to probably 25/28F.  The foliage
will be burnt back by frost, however, so if you want
them to look good through winter, they need overhead
protection.  Eastern Mexico also gets their rain in
summer, so they aren't in sync with our  mediterranean
rainfall patterns.

Gary Hammer grows his nursery stock under shade cloth,
and even here in Berkeley, the leaves of some
varieties can get bleached out by too much full sun. 
They want that elusive location with warm shade, just
enough air circulation to avoid insect infestation
buildup, but not so much wind as to tear their leaves.
 
I will need to
> check with my friends.  However the limiting factor
> might be water. 

The Heliconias are definitely not drought tolerant
plants, but they do not require nearly as much water
as bananas, to list just one comparison.  I give mine
only average garden watering, but then my garden is
mostly shady, and rather wind protected.  They do
appreciate higher humidity in California, and without
supplemental spraying/overhead irrigation, they can be
prone to spider mites, scale, and thrips, and browning
of leaf edges, as under Santa Ana wind conditions.

  I also suspect other
> factors like microclimate
> might have an effect on success (i.e. planting them
> next to the south west
> facing wall to get more heat, etc).

Again, except in very mildest coastal California
locations, foliage can yellow in full sun in summer,
due to our drier conditons.

> 	H. lathispatha is a fairly tall species, prone to
> producing long
> rhizomes (it has a habit of "running away" from the
> planting area).  It
> also produces bracts alternating in a spiral (makes
> it sometimes difficult
> to use in an arrangement). 

The flower spike of H. latispatha does indeed spiral,
after first being flat/two planed as it first expands.
 For those who can grow the other more magnificent
varieties, the flower isn't much, but it would still
be exotic if you weren't experienced with the
others...

  There was several
> different forms in Hawaii
> that escaped cultivation that vary in the ammount of
> green, yellow, and
> orange in the bracts.

H. latispatha is definitely considered one of the less
desirable/ornamental species in those parts of the
world where Heliconias are easily grown and flowered. 
The weediness aspect is not a problem here in
California, they behave like a clump forming bamboo,
rather than a runner, (I suspect our drier conditions
account for its better behavior here).  They also tend
to top out at 6 to 8 foot tall, and bloom mainly in
the late fall through winter in the Bay Area, probably
starting in summer in warmer southern California. 
There may be quite a bit of variability as to
size/color and bloom season, and it is difficult to
know whether we are all growing one clone here in the
Bay Area or several.  There just aren't that many
around to compare!  I do know that this species has
been used in San Diego since the late 1970's at the
zoo and the arboretum there along the coast, and San
Marcos Growers has sold this variety off and on in the
1990's.
 
Also there are a few supposed
> hybrids with H.
> psittacorum (i.e. Cv Parrot).  I would perhaps be
> more inclined to try Pink
> Gingers (Alpinia pupurata), but again they would
> need supplemental
> irrigation.

As far as I know, Alpinia purpurata is not successful
even in San Diego, (someone will probably prove me
wrong), but no nurseries are growing this one here
outdoors, nor is it in any of the local arboretums.  I
think it doesn't like our winter night time lows, and
presume it prefers the winter lows to stay above
45/50F to grow well.  Other Alpinia's do quite well
even here in the Bay Area, however.

And finally, Nan, to answer your question about
species to try in California, my list is as follows:

H. angusta var citrina and H. angusta 'Holiday': 
dwarfer growers,(to perhaps 3/4' tall), with yellow or
red/white bloom, better as a cool sunporch plant here
in the Bay Area, where I am growing it both outdoors
and indoors, and only the indoors one has bloomed. 
There are several cultivars of this being grown for
the indoor plant trade in California, 'Holiday' is red
with white flowers and blooms for Christmas!, and will
grow and bloom well as a sun porch plant here in the
bay area.  I haven't tried it oudoors, but the var
citrina which is outdoors doesn't seem too happy(It
barely puts on any new growth in our excuse for summer
here in Berkeley). 

H. bourgeaena: a large grower with dark reddish stems
and larger leaves than H. latispatha, mine has yet to
bloom outdoors, and I lost it in the 1998 freeze here,
so had to start over again. (Note: all heliconias
require 2 years of growth to bloom here in the Bay
Area, so it is critical that you get large stems
through the first winter if you ever want to see
flowers).

H. latispatha 'Orange': a large grower, 6 to 8' tall,
a reliable performer for anywhere in coastal
California where it doesn't freeze every year. 
Probably the easiest to get to bloom.

H. mathiasae: another large grower that I have yet to
get to bloom, if I am correct with my labels?, this
one has red spotted stems.

H. schiedeana:  another medium to large grower, which
I have yet to get to bloom, as I also lost this one in
the 1998 freeze, and had to start over.  The flowers
on this one are yellow with red bracts, in a very
rigid upright formation, with bracts which also
spiral, and tends to not be visible as it is lost in
the leaves.  See the photo in Robert Lee Riffle's
book, The Tropical Look.  Stokes Tropicals sells a
variety of this which they call 'Fire and Ice', but is
in fact the same plant which Gary Hammer brought in
from Mexico.  See their catalogue for a photo.

H. sp Hidalgo: Gary Hammer collected this one as well,
I haven't tried it yet, (ran out of room in the pick
up truck to bring this one north...)  Gary says this
plant is now being sold  by Stokes Tropicals as H. aff
scheideana 'Fire and Ice', and was brought in by Gary
from Mexico.

H. sp Tuxtepic Oaxaca: another unidentified species
collected by Gary Hammer, I am unsure whether I have
this one in my collection, as several have lost their
labels...

H. spissa: another large growing, easy to bloom
grower.  The distinguishing characteristic of the
foliage tends to be the "whorled nature of the
foliage", which is more easily ripped by the wind. 
Mine has yet to bloom, but I think the flower is
similar to H. latispatha.

H. stricta: variable in size, 4-8' tall, but the form
I have is shorter.  Mine has yet to bloom outdoors,
and I think it performs better here as a sunporch
plant.  Flower color is also variable.

Many of these are listed in Robert Lee Riffle's book,
The Tropical Look, for more specific information.  I
have only listed what I have grown and know from
personal experience here in the Bay Area.  Riffle's
book also lists some Heliconias which can be grown in
Houston, Texas, but I presume they prefer the heat and
humidity of their summers to do well.  H. 'Golden
Torch' is listed as possible in Houston, as grown at
the author's garden, and H. rostrata is being grown at
the Mercer Arboretum in Houston, Texas (but outdoors?)
 If anyone is growing H. rostrata outdoors here in
California, I would love to know, as this is one of
those "classic" Heliconia flowers which are so typical
of Bali, Hawaii, etc...  Heliconia bihai is another
outrageous bloomer, and is listed as growing in
Galveston, Texas at the Moody Gardens, but I doubt
whether it would like our winters.

Finally, if you would like to see what is available
here from Hawaii, and have a greenhouse, check out the
web site for Alohatropicals.com, located in Vista,
California.  I have not dealt with them, but if I had
a greenhouse and/or unlimited funds, I would
definitely try some of their slections. 
Stokestropicals.com of Louisiana also has a good
selection, but again is primarily catering to areas
with warm, humid summers.  Gary Hammer's
selections, no mail order, (phone 213-722-3976, and
tell him I sent
you, he will be amused...), will all be larger,
container grown plants,(not bare root pieces of
rhizome), and much cheaper than the two mail order
nurseries listed, and better proven varieties for
coastal California conditions.  My experience with
heliconias so far is to find the varieties which can
tolerate our cooler year round conditions, which means
seeking out high elevation provenance species.  I will
be going down to Oaxaca in January with Gary Hammer
and another friend, and hope to be able to photograph
some of these Heliconias in habitat and bloom.

Hope this wasn't information overload, Nan!  I will
also be giving a talk for the California Horticultural
Society next June on the topic of Subtropicals for the
San Francisco Bay Area, if you are interested in this
topic. 

Regards, 
David Feix

 


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