"plenty of rostrata. If you can pick up in Tampa I can load you up".... does this mean someone in Tampa wants to give away some lobster claw???..... I am in Tampa! I would love to have a lobster claw! ... crossing fingers I have not miss read.

Heliconias are very easy to grow especially Heliconia rostrata. They are very large plants which like hummidity and copious amounts of water. Could it be that your pots are too small and you are getting fertilizer burn or that they are staying too wet in your pots and you have root rot. Here in S.Florida(your climate is similar unless you are high up in the mountains) I grow Heliconia in the ground-they are far to large for pot culture IMO. If you look at the undersides of the leaves you can see spider mites if they are there-tiny little dark redish specks and they cause the top surface of the leaves to have a silvery appearance. You can blast them off with the hose or if a heavy infestation spray the undersides of the leaves with an insecticidal soap- this is completely harmless, except to the spider mites. Either method you will have to repeat several times. Unless you have had a very dry summer I don't think it is likely to be spider mites-they are only usually a problem in dry weather.The only insect pest I have really noticed on Heliconia is the mealy bug. I have found these in the roots and in the axils of the leaves where they are attached to the stems, but the plants are so vigorous they they are not much of a problem. I would take your plants out of the pots,wash off the soil and check for mealy bugs in the roots and leaf axils etc and cut of any rotten or dead roots and any rotten rhyzome. I would then plant them in the garden in either full sun or semi-sun in a spot where there is plenty of room, rich loamy well-draining soil where they will get plenty of water(the more sun the more water) and fertilize a couple of times a year(not till after they get growing, in your spring)-although I find they are such rampant growers that I don't bother to fertilize. The only problem for you now, at this time of year, is that they really prefer to be dug up,divided etc in the spring and you are now going into winter. However if they look like they are not happy perhaps it is better to do something! After 1 year you should have some big lush growths so if you have had adequate humidity and given them plenty of water I would suspect root problems possibly caused by your growing method. Heliconia rostrata can take quite a bit of cold so unless you are up in the mountains you should not have a problem. Hope this helps and good luck.

There are lots if you happen to live in Costa Rica or Colombia! You maynot be able to order from them but they are worth taking a look at.Lots of pretty pictures and you will see some of the different common names for the same plant. Here is a link that might be useful: elarishtropicaexotics.com

Nice one Ian. that's a good camera too, I have a friend who has one and he's very happy with it. They have a Leica lens too, which is a real bonus.