Pinecrest Gardens Blog: Let's Talk About Lobster Claws!

Press release from Pinecrest Gardens Blog:

June 22, 2021

 By Lobster claws, I mean Heliconias!

On a recent, rather warm, walk through the garden, I noticed a profusion of blooms! Though the summertime can be muggy, there is certainly no shortage of color right now! The Gardens are an orchestra of blooms, but the lobster of my eye today was the Heliconias. 

When it comes to Heliconias, it's hard to tell who's who when their not in bloom. To me, their leaf shapes and arrangements are all pretty similar. Today as I strolled the garden, I was able to see one after another blooming, and was struck by the diversity of neighboring plants.

As a little background, Heliconia is a genus of over 200 species. It is however, the only member of it's family, Heliconiaceae. They are called a perennial herb, because their leaves are large and soft, and are mostly full of water. In stature they resemble a banana, which is also a large herbaceous plant. The similarity continues in that both Heliconias and bananas are tropical plants within the Zingiberales order. This specific order is also home to gingers, turmeric, cannas and more. When you think of large leaf tropical beauties, you're probably thinking Zingiberales. 

Anyway, back to Heliconias! It's said that the plants were named after the Greek mount Helikon, where the Muses lived. The Muses remained beautiful, young, and fresh. So, it became custom to plant or buy Heliconias if you wanted to be young, healthy and beautiful, like the muses. I'm not sure if the Muse's beauty secret is being around Heliconias, but they sure make me feel good!

Heliconias require moderate to tropical climates, as they are native to Central and South America. They may not be suitable for every landscape, because they do spread through rhizomes, much like ginger and bananas (their botanical cousins). But, if you have the space, Heliconias make a great anchor plant, tropical hedge or living screen due to their dense nature.  The best thing about Heliconias for us is their adoration of tropical climate, which we have. They love water, dappled sunlight and do need some fertilizing throughout the year, but otherwise in zone 10b they are pretty easy to grow! You can also keep them in a pot if you feel noncommittal about their rhizomes running wild in your yard. Just be ready to repot every-so-often!

Come enjoy the Heliconias at Pinecrest Gardens while they're blooming! Look for them along the pathways surrounding the hammock pavilion and in shady areas throughout the Garden.

This press release was produced by Pinecrest Gardens Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.