Lobster claw heliconia

Sun

Partial shade to full sun; light afternoon shade is helpful in hot, exposed gardens. Shelter from strong winds, which shred the leaves.

Water

Keep the root zone consistently moist during active growth, but never waterlogged. Water less in cooler weather without letting the rootball dry out completely.

Soil

Rich, moisture-retentive soil with good drainage, improved with compost. Use a fertile, free-draining potting mix for containers.

Height

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Spread

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), widening further as rhizomes spread

Flowers

Usually summer to autumn in seasonal climates; flowering may occur through much of the year in the tropics. Small yellowish flowers emerge from hanging red bracts with yellow and green tips.

Foliage

Evergreen. Large, upright, paddle-shaped green leaves on tall, leafy shoots; exposed leaves often split along their veins.

Growth

Fast in warm, humid conditions with adequate water and nutrients.

Care needed

High

• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   5 ft (1.4 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply whenever the soil surface starts to dry during warm weather.
• Apply a balanced fertiliser during active growth, following the product rate; container plants need regular feeding.
• Maintain an organic mulch around the clump, keeping it clear of the shoot bases.
• Provide wind shelter and enough overhead room for the leaves and hanging flower heads.
• Move containers into a bright, heated greenhouse before cold nights arrive; aim to keep temperatures above 15°C (59°F).
• Divide crowded clumps in spring or at the start of the warm growing season, retaining healthy rhizomes and shoots.

Pruning. Cut each flowered stem down to ground level once its display has faded, because that stem will not flower again. Remove dead or badly damaged leaves as needed, but retain healthy, unflowered shoots for future blooms.

Early spring

Check overwintered plants for pests and remove dead leaves without damaging emerging shoots.

Spring

Repot or divide crowded plants once warmth and active growth return.

Late spring

Move container plants outdoors only when nights are reliably warm, gradually acclimatising them to brighter light.

Summer

Water consistently, feed regularly and replenish mulch.

Summer to autumn

Cut spent flowering stems to the ground, leaving new shoots intact.

Autumn

Bring containers into heated shelter before temperatures fall; reduce watering as growth slows.

Winter

Keep protected plants warm and bright, with soil lightly moist rather than saturated.

• Use as a tall focal clump in a sheltered tropical border, with lower foliage plants beneath it.
• Plant beside a warm courtyard or sheltered terrace where the hanging bracts can be seen at eye level.
• Combine with gingers, elephant ears and cordylines for contrasting leaf shapes.
• Grow in a large movable container for summer display, provided you have suitable heated winter storage.

Garden styles it suits: Modern tropical, Tropical, Luxury resort, Balinese, Architectural minimal and Caribbean.

Plant it with: Elephant ears, Shell ginger, Red ginger, Ti plant, Bird's nest fern and Canna.

Wildlife: The flowers are adapted to hummingbird pollination in their native tropical American range. They may attract hummingbirds where those birds occur, but are not a major food source for typical garden pollinators in the UK, Canada or Australia.

• Cold damage: chilled leaves blacken and rhizomes may rot after frost. Grow in a frost-free position and move containers into heated shelter before cold weather.
• Root or rhizome rot: stagnant, saturated soil causes yellowing and collapsing shoots. Improve drainage, reduce watering in cool conditions and discard rotten sections.
• Spider mites and mealybugs: inspect leaf undersides and leaf sheaths, especially under glass. Isolate affected plants and use a labelled insecticidal soap or suitable biological control.
• Failure to flower: insufficient warmth, light or mature shoots can prevent blooms. Give the plant a long warm growing season and avoid cutting down healthy, unflowered stems.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific information on ingestion is limited, and no part should be treated as edible; eating plant material may still cause stomach upset.

• Expanded lobster claw (Heliconia latispatha)

  Its orange to red bracts form an upright flower head rather than the hanging, flattened chain of Heliconia rostrata.

• Parrot's beak heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum)

  Usually smaller, with narrower leaves and upright clusters of slender orange, yellow or red bracts.

• Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae)

  Has stiff, fan-arranged leaves and upright orange-and-blue flowers emerging from a horizontal, boat-shaped bract.

The species name rostrata means 'beaked', while 'lobster claw' refers to the shape of its colourful bracts.

Propagation. Divide established rhizomes in spring or at the beginning of the warm growing season. Use sections with healthy roots and at least one sound growing shoot, then keep them warm and evenly moist while they establish.

Accepted botanical name

Heliconia rostrata

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states and Puerto Rico.

Native range

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.