6 Reasons to plant heliconias in your tropical garden
Author: Marta Hackett Date Posted:11 March 2025
If you haven't seen these plants, then you are in for a real treat. Heliconia's are incredible plants known for their stunning hanging flowers. We've listed the top 6 reasons why we think Heliconia's are a must in all tropical gardens.
This plant is quintessential for the tropical garden, their vibrant colours and unique appearance can significantly enhance your outdoor area into an exotic wonderland.
1. Gigantic, bright and bold flowers
These plants are known for their striking, long flowers in rich red, bright orange, green, pink and purple too. If you desire a tropical plant which can create a beautiful feature while offering shade or screening, then choosing a Heliconia species will be a great option for you.
2. Tropical appeal and incredible foliage
These plants can bring a stunning exotic look, elevating your garden to the look and feel of the Pacific Islands, Indonesia or South America! The leaves are absolutely striking and provide a lovely amount of shade and privacy.
3. Ecosystems
These plants will bring insects and birds into your garden! The presence of birds and insects will bring a whole new level of life to your garden with both flora and fauna adding variety to your environment.
4. They are so easy to grow!
Heliconias will absolutely thrive in warm, humid climates like Fraser Coast, and surrounding areas all the way to far north Queensland down to northern New South Wales. They are relatively easy to grow and require small amounts of care and maintenance. Here at Bamboo Land, the Heliconias that we sell can be seen in their fully mature state. They are easy to maintain and provide an abundance of flowers for the garden all year round. They need lots of sunlight, so planting these in areas around your home where you desire shade, would be ideal.
5. Perfect pool feature
These plants are absolutely ideal for providing shade and privacy by the pool. Their root systems are very shallow, growing only 20cm deep! Which makes them unlikely to cause any damage to plumbing, pool exterior, footings or foundations. Heliconias don’t drop leaves either, so that removes the need for regular leaf litter clean up. The huge Heliconia leaves which grow up to 5 meters tall will add height and shade to your garden, drawing your eye up to create dimension in your pool area.
6. Icon of paradise
Some plants hold certain connotations in the mind of people, these are universal, which everyone understands. In many cultures, Heliconias are symbols of beauty and paradise. Adding these to your garden can evoke a sense of tranquility and joy for you and your garden visitors.
With their incredibly gorgeous flowers, tropical charm and low maintenance care, all Helicona varieties are such a great addition to your garden as a great mid-story plant which will provide perfect privacy screen or shade. Our plant experts have designed the perfect set of Heliconias to add height, texture, colour and privacy to your garden.
Heliconia bihai 'Yellow Dancer'
Our horticultural experts here at Bamboo Land has carefully curated this unique plant pack featuring three of our most vibrant varieties of heliconias, chosen for their stunning beauty and compatibility in growth together in your tropical garden. The Heliconia plant pack is a Bihai Collection including 6 Heliconia plants of good size. It's a value pack of hardy, tight-clumping, and cold-tolerant heliconias, suitable for frost-free areas. These three stunning varieties reach 2.5–3m tall, each boasting equally spectacular flowers!
Pack consists of $177 value of the following heliconias:
2 x Bihai 'Chocolate Dancer' - 180mm pot
2 x Bihai 'Yellow Dancer' - 180mm pot
2 x Bihai 'Hong Kong Claw' - 180mm pot
They work well together as their sunlight, water and soil needs are all similar and the care and maintence requried are all the same, so this is why we recommend these plants. Grow them together to enjoy a vibrant, low-maintence landscape that flourishes with unique beauty.
Heliconia bihai 'Hong Kong Claw'
Heliconia bihai 'Chocolate Dancer'
Heliconia bihai 'Yellow Dancer'