Heliconia Chartacea Sexy Pink Plant

About the Heliconia Chartacea Sexy Pink Plant

'Sexy Pink' is the showstopper of hanging heliconias. From tall, banana-like clumps hang long, zigzagging chains of soft pink bracts edged in lime green, which can reach a metre or more in length on mature plants. The pastel colour is rare in the tropics and makes it one of the most sought-after heliconias for gardens and luxury floristry. It is a large plant that needs space, heat, humidity and patience, but a clump in full flower is unforgettable. Available as a rhizome, potted young plant or flowering-size clump.

How to Care for It

To plant a rhizome, lay it horizontally 5–10 cm deep in rich, well-drained soil with any shoot pointing up, water well and keep the soil just moist until new growth appears. Give it room, sun to partial shade, rich soil and abundant water. Feed monthly in the rainy season with a balanced fertiliser, mulch generously and cut each stem at the base after its flowers fade.

Nothing says tropical like a heliconia in flower. Choose from the ten most popular varieties, including hanging lobster claw, Lady Di, Golden Torch, wagneriana and Sexy Pink. Start from a rhizome, or buy a potted young plant or a flowering-size clump.

Growing Profile

Botanical name

Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink'

Family

Heliconiaceae

Native to

Cultivar of a species from the Amazon basin (Brazil, Peru, Guyana)

Mature height

3–5 m

Plant spacing

2.5 m

Time to first flowers

2–3 years

Light

Sun to part shade

Water

High, keep moist

Cold tolerance

down to 10 °C

Best climates

Humid tropics

Grows in a pot

Best in the ground

Ships from

Our farms in Yucatán & Chiapas