Heliconia, Parakeet Flower, Parrot's Beak 'Lady Di'

It's only my second year with a garden, but I love how my Lady Di psittacorum are blooming year round in South Florida.
However,...Read More the leaves on some have turned completely yellow. Is it too much sun? The grouping that has turned yellow receives 90% sun despite my attempt to shade them under a banana stand. And I do cut them sometimes. The ones under an awning look much healthier.

And a question regarding heliconia rostrata: Where on the plant do you cut them after they bloom in order to encourage more blooms... all the way to the ground or just under the bract? A photo or instructional video would help if you know of any. Thanks!

In our development the original developer planted Lady Di's in two places. One in areas surrounded by pavers and the other in the open a...Read Mores part of hedges, etc. Our landscape committee has deemed this plant as a very invasive plant for the same reason that some of the posters have stated, they pop where you did not plant them, including other people's property. We have had to remove stray plants from numerous locations where they did not belong. We do not have an issue with plants surrounded by pavers or in pots. And, we did not outlaw all Heliconia, just H. psittacorum.

Since moving to Boca Raton in 2003, and buying a house where there were about 10 of these plants in a small planter on the patio, I trans...Read Moreplanted them successfully to other locations around the property.

They seem to be a very hardy plant, needing no attention, other than pulling out the old stalks, once the flower is dead.

However, they do grow out on their own, showing up in the lawn, and even growing under cement dividers of planters. Just mowing them down doesn't stop them from spreading.

They are a bright source of color for the landscape, and the flowers last a long time.

I am what I think of as a 'relaxed grower', meaning that I let things grow as they might, until I feel the need to move things around or get rid of things.

My personal definition of a 'weed' is a plant of some sort, which you don't want. Some 'weeds' are interesting and pretty, and I will let it grow.

I bought this plant at one of the USF Botanical Gardens plant sales. It flowered before any of my other Heliconias. It's easy enough to g...Read Morerow - I haven't had the chance to fertilize it yet.