In A Vase on Monday – Finally

by theshrubqueen

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I have succeeded in coaxing a Lobsterclaw Heliconia to flower. Finally. It has taken four years and two different types. This particular one is Helconia rostrata, native to South America. I found two years ago at a Master Gardeners plant sale and snapped up. It was doing fine until Hurricane Matthew blew by last year and bent it into 2 plants on an angle. Then I forgot about it for a while and let the dried up leaves hang on the plant instead of trimming them off. Viola, the secret, don’t trim the dead leaves. I read somewhere the flowers are easily cut off during trimming and now I believe it. The other one, a Heliconia ‘Splash’ four years old steadfastly refuses to flower, but it was always trimmed. Now it looks awful and I am hoping for some flowers! The Splash flowers are twice as big as these, apricot with wine colored splashes.

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A closer view. The Heliconia is accompanied by a flowering branch of a Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera). The Sea Grape flowers eventually form a long chain of blueberry sized ‘grapes’. One of my greyhounds likes to eat them, but I don’t.

 

The Heliconia bud.20170502_153541-1

Happy Monday

18 comments on “In A Vase on Monday – Finally”

  1. pbmgarden says:
    May 22, 2017 at 11:34 am

    Congrats on coaxing the Lobsterclaw Heliconia into flower. Very striking form and color.

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    Reply
  2. Eliza Waters says:
    May 22, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    What a thrill to open your post today! What an achievement – it is stunning! So interesting about the need to NOT trim, a discovery that will hopefully end your flowerless dilemma. May you enjoy many happy returns!

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  3. automatic gardener says:
    May 22, 2017 at 1:10 pm

    Beautiful!

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Kris P says:
    May 22, 2017 at 8:08 pm

    That flower is the very definition of an exotic bloom. Gorgeous! Benevolent neglect – it works!

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Cathy says:
    May 22, 2017 at 8:49 pm

    I had to laugh when I saw this – it looks so comical, somehow, and certainly UNplantlike! It is such fun seeing your vases as we never know what is going to be in them next đŸ™‚

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  6. Cathy says:
    May 23, 2017 at 7:49 pm

    Wow, isn’t that an incredible flower! Very pretty and congratulatiins on getting it to flower for you! đŸ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. theshrubqueen says:
    May 23, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    Thanks.I hope I figured the trick to getting the flower. I am usually the one being tricked by the flower

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  8. Chloris says:
    May 25, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    Well done, and how exotic and gorgeous it is. From another galaxy indeed.

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  9. Ranthambore Jeep Safari says:
    May 30, 2017 at 8:07 am

    Goodness, isn’t that a mind blowing bloom! Pretty and congratulatiins on inspiring it to bloom for you!..

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Cynthia Reyes says:
    May 31, 2017 at 11:54 pm

    Et voila, mon amie Amy!
    You learned a valuable lesson, got a gorgeous bloom, and created a beautiful arrangement! Congrats.

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