Learn the secrets to bird of paradise care indoors or out , and you ’ll be rewarded with a striking , coloured works .
rise a wench of nirvana plant can dramatically alter your landscape . The flora creates a sheer , tropic focal point in the garden , thanks to its large leave and spiky , colorful flowers that resemble birds on the extension . It can flourish as a houseplant , too , as long as it ’s in a position with bright , indirect sunlight and is watered regularly . Wherever you grow it , the flora requires maintenance to remain healthy .
Bird of paradise plants arenative to tropic and subtropical areasof southeasterly Africa . The common name , bird of paradise , is assign to several plant life in theStrelitziagenus . Of the recognized species(S. reginae , S. juncea , S. nicolai , S. caudata , andS. alba),the first two are the easiest to grow as houseplant .
Credit:Denny Schrock
Denny Schrock
Where to Plant Bird of Paradise
Bird of paradise plants are considered toxic to dogs , computed tomography , and buck , so work out carefulness when using them as houseplant or planting them near horse barn or trails .
Bird of paradise flora are hardy outdoors only in USDA Zones 10 and 11 . In these mood , you need a spot that receives full sun but is not so red-hot that the plant life could scorch . Inother warm up regions(such as some areas of central Florida , southern Louisiana , southern Texas , Arizona , and parts of the westerly glide of California ) , it is possible to grow bird of paradise plant life outdoors , but their growth might be stunt and developing flower could be damaged by cool temperature .
How and When to Plant Bird of Paradise
When plant a container - grown bird of paradise flora outdoors , you’re able to put it in the priming coat in the spring or former summertime . To make it easy to remove the flora from its nursery container ( and reduce the peril of shocking the industrial plant ) , irrigate it exhaustively before remove it from the container .
Dig a hole about 6 feet from other plants so the bird of paradise has plenty of room to grow . Make the hole as abstruse and just about doubly as all-embracing as the root ball . Do n’t make the hole too thick , or the flora may be slow to flower .
Bird of Paradise Care Tips
Bird of paradise plants have the look of fussy tropic plants , but they are relatively elementary to care for in the right grow conditions . The foliage can dilute to 6 feet grandiloquent and 5 feet wide in some metal money ( elephantine species , likeS. nicolai , can develop to 20 or 30 feet marvelous ) , so make certain you have plenty of way for it to stretch its parting wherever you grow it .
Light
Strelitziaspecies prefer to have plenteous sunlight , but they are understory plants , anddirect sunlight can incinerate their leaves . Whether you ’re growing it indoors or outdoors , a chick of paradise works does well in very bright collateral sunshine with shaded protection during the most intensely sunny time of the day ( commonly the good afternoon ) .
If you ’re uprise a bird of paradise inside ( all year around or only during the winter ) , you might want toinvest in a grow illumination , but if you have a brilliant , sunny windowpane and decent wintertime sunlight , you’re able to skip the artificial light . Avoid N - facing window where the ignitor may be deficient .
Soil and Water
Bird of paradise plants spring up well in rich , loamy , well - enfeeble soilwith apH of 5.5 to 7.5 .
While they are develop , irrigate your bird of paradise plant often enough to keep the dirt equally moist , but not soggy . If you keep your industrial plant in bright sunlight , you may need to irrigate it more often . you’re able to taper off lacrimation during the fall and winter month , allowing the dirt to dry out a trivial . Just pay aid to how the plant responds . If it gets too much or too small wet , the folio will lead off to yellow and break . Mature plants are more drought - tolerant and may not postulate to be water at all in the winter months if your region receive sufficient rain .
Temperature and Humidity
Bird of paradise is a tropic flora that is hardy in temperatures over 60 ° F but does unspoilt between 65 ° F and 80 ° atomic number 9 . It hunger a humid environment , so indoor - grow industrial plant should be set on a pebble tray or near a humidifier .
Fertilizer
Use an all - function fertilizer for your bird of paradise , but youdon’t ask to fecundate it often . Something like a 5 - 5 - 5 or a 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer is sufficient . For the amount to practice , postdate the mathematical product recording label directions .
Pruning
Prune your established boo of paradise flora regularly to keep it await its good and to advance new growth . You should also remove dead farewell and sometime flower angry walk to reduce the risk of infection of fungal organisms . Prune the leaf stem or flower husk at the base of the plant .
If your plant life is getting too big , remove outer leave-taking to cut back the overall sizing . It ’s best to do this in early spring before young growth begins .
Potting and Repotting
In containers , bird of paradise plant life can be kept to manageable houseplant size . For example , whengrown indoors or as pot terrace plants , S. reginaetends to be short , which makes it great for smaller spaces . S. nicolaiis much taller and has leaves that can strive 2 - 3 feet farseeing , which make it best for bigger space .
Torepot a birdie of paradisethat has outgrow its container , opt another pot that is slightly larger and has drain holes . Slide the plant out of its container and gently loosen the roots with your fingers . Set the solution ball in the unexampled pot and use bracing potting mix to take in around the ascendant . pee the works well to help the soil settle around the root .
Removing an Overgrown Bird of Paradise
from time to time , an in - ground overgrown bird of paradise flora stops producing blooms because the beginning system becomes too compacted to take in enough nutrient . When this find , you may require to divide the plant or discard it , which can be guileful because the root formal will be heavy .
Pests and Problems
Outdoors , doll of paradise plants are relatively pest - liberal , although they can be prone to developing fungal leafage fleck and gray cast . hit any septic leaves from the works as well as any fallen leave . It ’s also a salutary idea to debar overhead lachrymation . verify the flora has sufficient airflow between it and other industrial plant .
You ’re more likely to have issue with pests when growing bird of paradise indoors . Mealybugsand plate are the most vulgar pests you may encounter on your plant . Use a cotton plant bud or newspaper towel dunk in isopropyl alcohol to wipe off pests . Neem oilcan also assist if it ’s a heavy infestation .
Propagating Bird of Paradise
There are two shipway to propagate bird of paradise : from a rhizome or from seed .
From a Rhizome
Similar to the snort of paradise ’s close relatives , banana , gingers , Maranta , andHeliconia , you canpropagate it from its rootstalk , the thick underground stem . The best time to circulate the plant is early leaping . Here ’s how :
From Seed
To acquire bird of paradise plants from seed , you need a lot of longanimity . It can take two to three month for the seeded player to germinate and several years ( perhaps as long as five or six year ) for the plant to bloom . Here ’s how to do it :
Types of Bird of Paradise
‘Mandela’s Gold’ Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae‘Mandela ’s Gold ’ is a yellow - blooming variety of the commonly orange - blooming bird of paradise . Zones 10 - 11
Orange Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginaeoffers brilliantly colored bloom on 3 - foot - tall stalks in wintertime , give , and summer . It grow 6 metrical foot tall and 3 foot encompassing . Zones 10 - 11
White Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia nicolaigrows like a tree with a fan of 5 - foot - longsighted leaves . It produces snowy flowers in spring and grows 30 feet improbable and 15 feet wide . Zones 10 - 11
Bird of Paradise Companion Plants
The best plants to pair with dame of paradise open share similar care needs and complement the plant ’s large leaf .
Daylily
Daylilies areso comfortable to growthat you ’ll often chance escapees popping up in ditches and arena . Yet they count so ticklish , raise trumpet - shape blooms in myriad colors . Although each salad days endure only a single day , superior cultivars transport numerous bud on each flower stalk , so bloom clip is extended , especially if you deadhead daily . The strappy foliage may be evergreen or deciduous .
Kangaroo Paw
Make a statement in your garden withkangaroo mitt . This unusual perennial come from Australia and birth strappy unripened leaves and upright spikes of fuzzy peak in radioactively vivid colors . The blooms last a long time and make great cut flower .
Sago Palm
Complete the tropical look by pairing Bronx cheer of paradise with a showysago palm . Although this plant front like a tinypalm treewith its glossy , stiff fronds , it ’s in reality a cycad . It ’s easygoing to arise as a houseplant , but be careful because the sago palm is toxic .
Society Garlic
The leaves of this South African aboriginal medulla aspect likechives , and if you brush the foliage while walk by , you ’ll catch a whiff of garlic . However , the beautiful bunch of lavender - pink blossom have a sweet fragrancy similar to the scent ofhyacinthblossoms . They open on marvellous stems from early summer until late fall . Noted for its drouth leeway , society garlichas become a raw material in theSouthern California landscape painting .
Frequently Asked Questions
With proper care , a raspberry of paradise plant can live for decades , and giant snort of paradise plants(S. nicolai)have been report to know as long as 50 to 150 years .
A few things could inhibit peak growth on mature , install razzing of heaven plants , include too much refinement , a want of fertilizer , and unconventional watering . If your skirt of paradise plant is still immature , it may involve a little more sentence to get lay down before it starts to bloom . Even in idealistic conditions , it can take five or six years before a razzing of paradise plant starts blooming on a regular basis .
The folio will draw in if the plant is underwatered . Give the plant more water and observe to see to it that the water comes out the drain hole . When the industrial plant pose in wet soil , other problems can occur .
Credit: Denny Schrock
Bird of Paradise Flower . ASPCA .
The Dangers of the Sago Palm . ASPCA
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Credit: Gordon Beall
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
