Steve L

I'm in full agreement with you about the differences in SoCal and the Gulf Coast but this guy has bloomed Rostrata in the ground as well. Our disadvantage is the latter half of the month of Dec and the month of January. Their disadvantage is low humidity, cool temps at night through out the year and an irregular supply of rain. The Gulf Coast for the rest of the time other than Dec. Jan and part of Feb would be nearly perfect for tropicals.

I've tried Golden Torch in the ground and it comes back with a mild winter but is weak. If a normal winter follows, then it will just disappear. It's back in a pot now and enormous. It has two huge bloom cycles for me; one in the spring and one now and only blooms intermitently during the summer. But please don't be discouraged because you may find a solution with the right soil mixture, an elevated bed, or something else. If you do, I hope like hell you share it with me. I've been groiwng Tacca Integrifolia in the ground in a protected spot for 3 years and it blooms every fall for me. In bloom right now. I just happened to find the right place with the right conditions. I killed three others in pots so it's possible. It's certainly not supposed to grow in zone 9.

I would do the best I could to protect your heliconia this winter with frost cloth, a blanket, when the temps drop to below 40. If you can shield them from too much moisture during cold fronts by placing a large pot over them to protect the roots from too much rain, maybe that will work. Or you can do like I do and cover them with a portable greenhouse either purchased over the internet or constructed with PVC pipe and 6mm plastic. In most cases, you don't even have to add supplemental heat until the temps drop below freezing.

Steve

Steve