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This sight always makes me happy. It is a kiki (baby shoot) coming off its mama and beginning a new life. In this case, this is the virgin orchid that I bought back from Tobago and have tied onto my palms. It's been dormant for sometime but is now on a growth spurt. We are not out of the woods yet, as I have learnt the hard way. Those lovely tender roots that give me so much joy are gourmet meals for slugs. And it could be over in a matter of days. These tender shoots are also susceptible to fungus and bacteria. If you are separating orchids, this is usually a good time to do it but always sterilize the shears before going from one plant to another so that no funguses or bacteria are spread. Another trick of the professionals that I've learnt is to use cinnamon powder which is a potent antifungal and does have some antibacterial properties. And there's no worry about chemicals. Just sprinkle gently over the roots of your plant.
My decorative purple banana is sandwiched between the sexy orange and pink. Unlike the miniature pink bananas, these purple simply do not know their place! They are walkers and are very leafy so I spend my life up on the bench trimming leaves so that we can see the bananas. One thing that I do love about them is the fact that the yellow orioles love this plant and the contrast of the bright yellow bird against the purple bananas is a treat everytime. Once I can save up for a zoom lens, I might be able to post some shots of this.
My Sexy Oranges are here. Every year I can time them almost to the day. These are my most striking hanging heliconias and my largest by far. Like all hanging heliconias, the secret to showcasing the flowers is to keep the leaves trimmed. It seems ruthless but it is essential so that your blooms don't clash with the leaves. I do this for all my heliconias, especially my rostrata.