Most heliconia species do not tolerate cold weather and will suffer injury when temperatures fall below 13C. The general climatic conditions required for healthy growth are warm and humid.
All of the eastern coast of Queensland, northern stretches of New South Wales, and most areas of humid Northern Territory and Western Australia are perfect for heliconia growing - the only requirement is selection of the right cultivars.
Most varieties of heliconia's will grow well in full sun, where others require partial shade. They tend to grow taller if grown in shadier areas.
Heliconia's prefer freely draining soils with high organic matter. They are heavy feeders and they need lots of water. They are best grown on slopes or raised beds for good drainage and they need plenty of space.
Heavy mulching is recommended to protect the soil from drying out, and to enhance the soil's organic matter. Additional irrigation is important for low rainfall areas.
Fertilisers used by home gardeners are generally chicken pellets, although complete fertilizer blends are ideal. The only significant pests for gardeners are grasshoppers, scale and mealybugs. Diseases are rare but wet feet, especially in winter, can rot the root system.
You should not prune your heliconia's, as the 'stem' is actually made up of rolled leaf bases and the flowers emerge from the top of these 'pseudostems'. However, each stem will only flower once, so after flowering you can cut that stem out. This is recommended, to encourage more flowering, to increase airflow in between the stems of your plant, and also to generally tidy it up and improve the appearance.
Heliconia's are fairly quick growers if given plenty of good rich soil and fertilizer. Most of the larger species will take 12-24 months to flower when grown from a rhizome. The smaller psittacorum types will usually flower within 6-12 months when grown from rhizomes.
Most heliconia's can be grown in pots, although the pot will need to be fairly large, even for the smaller psittacorum species. For the taller growing species, the pot will need to be heavy and stable so that the weight of the tall and heavy stems does not tip the pot over.
More info on Planting & Cultivating page