Post #211067 by fatuhiva on Sat, Jan 28, 2006 12:23 PM

Greenhouse conditions are really ideal for heliconias. There's actually very few places in the US that they will grow well all year outdoors. Pretty much South Florida and Hawaii, everywhere else is marginal or just not gonna work.

However, if you can keep humidity up in your greenhouse, let in plenty of sunlight and keep the temp between 60-90F then you should be able to have a nice setup. I often wish my yard was just a greenhouse- it can be frustrating when heavy winds or a cold front comes through and damages the plants.

Ideally, a tropical greenhouse would be tall enough to house palms and big heliconias (like 15-20 feet), have a rich free draining soil (could require excavating under the greenhouse to amend the local soil) and a nice overhead watering system that uses only fresh water.

here are some pictures of a really neat one in gainsville:

http://bihaisrainforest.4t.com/photo.html

[ Edited by: fatuhiva 2006-01-28 12:26 ]