When it comes to head-turning flowers you can’t beat tropicals. From Strelitzias to Gingers, hanging Heliconia to jaw-dropping large leaves; tropicals are THE flower to use when you want to make a bold and powerful statement. And, with so many new shapes, sizes and deliciously uncommon colours becoming available, the design options are on line to get even more exciting as can be seen in our special Tropicals design feature.

And the country with the ideal growing conditions for tropical flowers is Colombia – proving that while it may be best known for carnations – it’s now a major force when it comes to the exotic lines.

In fact, with a geographical location second to none, Colombia is blessed with the perfect growing conditions for tropical flowers and nearly 50% of the world’s helicon varieties are native to the South American hotspot and more particularly within the Pereira region where growers are now using the natural environment to introduce Strelitizia, Heliconias, Calatheas, Banana Plant, Gingers, Palms, Lily Grass and Cordylines to the UK.

Colombian tropical flowers and their Latin names:

Bird-of-paradise flower (Strelitzia)

Lobster claws (Heliconia)

Parrot flower (Heliconia psittacorum)

Pincushion Protea (Protea)

Gingers (Zingiber officinale)

Others>