Heliconia Orthotricha She (She Kong)

About the Heliconia Orthotricha She (She Kong)

Heliconia orthotricha 'She', often sold as 'She Kong', is a designer heliconia with upright spikes of rosy-red to hot-pink bracts with greenish edges, covered in fine, velvety hairs that give them a soft sheen. The colour is unusual among heliconias, and florists prize the stems for modern tropical arrangements because they are elegant, straight and long-lasting. The plant forms a medium-tall clump of glossy, paddle-shaped leaves and flowers best with warmth, humidity and shelter. Choose 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 sun to light shade and plenty of water, keeping the clump out of drying wind. 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 orthotricha 'She'

Family

Heliconiaceae

Native to

Cultivar of a species from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

Mature height

2–3.5 m

Plant spacing

1.5 m

Time to first flowers

1.5–2 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