Birds of Paradise

[electric.chowder]

Just wondering if any one knew where on the internet I could buy one, and if they're hard to keep/what conditions they need,

thanks!

-chowder

[jbigio]

Larry orchids on e-bay has them they do very well as landscape plants weater permiting

[digitalgate]

they need full sun, tropical temperature and they only flower if a whole bunch of them
is grown together. A single plant can't spike. So grow them in a flower bed.

[palito]

I been growing a few from seed since 4 years ago... this year they might finally flower! I grow them in pots, outdoors year round exposed to the elements.

They're not that tropical. they are extremely tolerant to heat and cold (mine got exposed to a freak low of 28F and only the older leaves suffered some damage, the newer leaves are in perfect shape) and extended neglect and drought periods.

[slippery_biscuit]

Which one are you interested in? There is the white variety which gets as tall as a house with the nifty fan pattern of leaf growth, then the orange one that ends up in all the floral displays that grows 2-3 feet high that has a clumpy spreading type of growth pattern. I've one of each and they stay indoors during the winter up here in the pac. nw. I've seen other less common varieties also.

[jerrymeola]

Birds grow like weeds here in Florida. You want the Orange on since the white will not flower in a pot. Also the white is not an especially pretty flower.

They like a lot of sun to flower. My neighbor gets 10 times as many flowers on his in the sun than mine in half shade.

[MrsConnie]

Hmmm I guess they wouldnt do well in England then. Want some for our the front...

xxxx

[LeftCoastAngler]

Those are beauts when cluster'd up in bunches... I've seen some purrty ones... They get rather large over time aswell...

~LCA.

[pikevi]

I have one 'bird of paradise' (Strelitzia sp.). It was doing well during the summer but is struggling indoors. I see browning of leaves and has a general appearence of withering. ( I will post a photo soon).

They can be bought from many garden centres but are generally expensive ( at least here in Toronto, CA). I believe they start at around $70 and go all the way up to $250 each.

I am not sure of the colour of mine but I am hoping it is red-yellow-orange, which are really quite stunning to look at

[pikevi]

I am attaching a photo of a sorry-looking 'bird of paradise' (Strelitzia). It was quite healthy and green in Sept. of this year but indoor living does not seem to suit it. I do have to acknowledge that the last leaf that grew indoors is pretty big and green. I don't know what to make of it though.

I also find a little one coming up and I hope I can save it until next spring since I can try and give it special treatment since it is small. The big one is more than 2metres (7feet) high and it is difficult to fit it anywhere without starving the other plants for light.

[rmt135]

I personally have not planted my ‘Bird of Paradise’ yet – it is still inside the polybag. But I had planted a cousin of the ‘Bird of Paradise’ – Heliconia. Their needs are not much different.

‘Bird of Paradise’ loves the sun & if planted with a bit of shade the leave will be bigger, taller & the flower slightly bigger than those planted under full sun light. In my country, there is no winter. It is either sun, sun, sun or rain, rain, rain. So I believe that the reason Pikevi move it indoor. But this plant loves the sun.

It grows best in organic soil or compost mix with soft soil (not those clay types) with good drainage. I personally like to use a mixture of compost, very small gravels with fine soil & top soil. The soil should be not kept dry or soggy. Long period of dryness can lead to yellowing of leaves & slow death. The soil should just cover the root & not too deep. Roots that are kept deep will affect the flowering & plant health. One of Heliconia where I had experimented by planting the roots deep had resulted in the leaves stem breaking & turns yellow. It did not even grow big.

Remove any dead leaves to reduce fungal infection. Without those dead leaves – it look nicer.

I fertilize my plant every 7 to 10 days. Please do not place the fertilizer too close to the stem. Evenly spread them & watered them after you have spread the fertilizer. Please do not fertilize them if you have just planted them. Let the roots settle down first. I did not fertilize my new plant close to 2 months after I have planted them.

This plant is to be grown in a bundle or bunch of shoots in a single stem. Space them out so that there is room for the flower to bloom. These plants really need space to grow well.

The nursery owner sold to me the ‘Bird of Paradise’ in 01 polybag for S$9. It sure is pricy in Canada - $70 for one.

[pikevi]

rmt135: The mix I used is a bit different from what you use. I may change the composition next spring (if the plant survives).

Imported plants are quite expensive here. I realise $9 is a far cry from $70. But these plants are at least 4 ' high. I have not seen any that are smaller.
But I am certain we will not get any for $9. I am not sure if they are cheaper in areas other than the city of Toronto.

As you said they take up a lot of room. The latest two leaves are almost a meter (>3' ) long each and the width is about 35 cm (>1'). There were a couple of browned leaves at the base and I cut them off. It was really very pretty in the summer with fan like appearence , resembling a traveler's palm (Ravenala sp.)

Thanks for the info.

[LeftCoastAngler]

Bird of Paradise | Patio Plants from Gurney's Seed and Nursery

[Gladys47]

I am always looking for he seed pods. I ave heard that they make seed, Bt I can nevr find them. Anybody got a clue? I like to grow things fom seed. Somehow they seem ore specil to me. Like my own " flower child" if you know what I mean.
Happy New Year to all! Love you guys, Gladys
PS. I'm on my old laptop and it loves to skip letters. I canspell. Really, I promise!

[pikevi]

I have no idea Gladys47. But I will check that for you. I have never seen or heard of 'fruits' on birds of paradise.

[rmt135]

‘Bird of Paradise’ can be grown from seed but it takes a few years for it to bloom (if you have the patience).

Most of my plants I propagate by either stem cutting, division, grafting etc. For ‘Bird of Paradise’ you can divide them. It is faster. Just make sure you have a few shoots on a single stem. Maintain the soil moist & fertilize after the roots have established themselves.

BTW tiedimmefrofe, welcome to the forum. I hope you are in the right thread. Why don't you introduce yourself at the INTRODUCTION & update you profile. It is good to know where you are from.

[electric.chowder]

Thanks for all the info everyone, once all this cold weather leaves and spring arrives I will be ordering one of the orange one!


-chowder

[PhalPal]

Jerry I was going to use your words exactly - they grow like weeds in California too. Very tolerant of high and low temps and they love the sun. My neighbor has a giant BofP that I get to enjoy over the fence; it is almost as tall as their two story house. They are not gardeners by any means and it is flourishing in a terrible clay soil and never fertilized. When we built these houses I had all the clay removed from my growing areas and they did not. It seems to be in constant bloom and doubles in size (width) about every two years; it could easily be divided.

[pikevi]

Two storey high Birds of Paradise? That would be a beautiful sight. I have seen Traveler's palms growing that high.

rmt135: Is there any way one can know the colour of the flowers by looking at the leaves?

Thanks.

[rmt135]

Aba ke debra walla this plant will have yellow flowers.

Poooh poooh left Poooh poooh right this one will be red.

Try these on your green leaves. See if it works Pikevi. I do not think we can know the colour of the flower by looking at the green leaves.

Electric.chowder, you will be glad & drool when you see the 'Bird of Paradise' bloom. Why not have 2 or 3 or 4 or .......... & admire the beauty.

[pikevi]

hmmmmm.. I was not referring to green(ness) of the leaf. I was thinking more in the line of shape,size and so on . Just a thought!

abracadabra.. seems it is White

[PhalPal]

Pikevi I will get a picture for you when it stops raining. As I said before, they are NOT gardeners and their B of P can look quite messy, which drives me nuts!! I have all I can do to keep my pruning shears off of it at midnight.

[PhalPal]

I got a break in the rain and took a few quick shots. They had a big New Year's Eve party and trimmed up their back yard! WooHoo!!
This plant has been in the ground about 13 years and started from a one gallon pot. Notice the two different sizes; both are the same type and planted at the same time.

The Banana Tree is a good source for all sorts of tropical seeds and plants. http://www.banana-tree.com/
I have purchased a variety of plants and seeds from them. Good outfit. Cheers

[pikevi]

Thanks PhalPal.

That IS huge! I'd have never guessed it is a B of P!!

I thought my banana shrub is huge

[Gladys47]

Didn't know I could do stem cuttings.Now I just have to sweet talk my neighbor friend/orchid grower. She'll share!
Gladys

[rmt135]

Gladys,

Are you goanna stem cut your neighbor’s 'Bird of Paradise'? Cut the stem without the roots. She will scream

My earlier post when I wrote, "Most of my plants I propagate by stem cutting, division, grafting etc." it means all my plants (guava, heliconia, ferns, caladium, aloe vera, etc) I propagate & not only for B of P. Sorry for the confusion.

I believe what you meant is division. Make sure you already dig a hole to receive the divided B of P. Try to plant it at about the same depth as the original. If possible the original soil is still intact together with roots - a bit tricky. That way it will not stress the plant too much.

PhalPal,

Those are huge B of P. Even my neighbor’s B of P or mine are not that tall. Did you manage to get a photo of the flowers?

[pikevi]

rmt135: I am wondering if the guava you mentioned is the fruit (Psidium sp., I think) we eat? And does it bear fruits? Are they kept indoors like a few lemon/lime species?

Thanks.

[PhalPal]

rmt - They had a big New Year's Eve party and did a lot of clean up in their back yard, which meant trimming the B of P. (it's about time!) it usually has flowers on it all the time, and lots of them, but all are trimmed off right now. They are large and orange flowers. I'll post a pic when I see some peek out.

[rmt135]

Dear Pikevi,

Sorry for the late reply.

You are right. The scientific name is Psidium guajava L. It is a fruit tree. The variety that I planted have white flesh. The other variety is bright red when peeled. This fruit tree love the sun, lots of it. This fruit tree is planted outdoor & I don't think you want to plant it inside the house because if it is pruned properly, it can reach a diameter of about 03 meters.

[tizzycat]

I think they are beautiful, and once bought some seeds when holidaying in the med, but never planted them as I knew they wouldn't stand a chance with the UK climate.

Got this shot in Portugal last year there were some beauties around the hotel.

[rmt135]

Gorgeous, Simply Gorgeous

Thanks Tizzycat for sharing

[articuno75]

I seen these all over the place when I was down in Florida. I love them. My friend had these as part of her floral arrangement in her wedding.

[BillC]

Tizz, that is a great pic and would adorn the cover of any flower catalogue in the trade. I have copied it to show my folks how beautiful the bird can be, when grown in the right conditions. Thanks for posting the pic.

Bill

[pikevi]

Thank you rmy135. I love the Guava fruits (green skin and white inside) from the chinese supermarkets; they are the size of a small coconut (a bit of exageration, hehehehe) with lots of pulp in them.

tizzycat: Beautiful plants and gorgeous flowers. It is nice to see yellow flowers. Thanks for the photo.

[PhalPal]

That is one gorgeous picture Tizzy!! I have a friend over in Portugal/Spain at this very moment.
I'll take some pictures when my neighbors blooms out in the spring.

[tizzycat]

They are gorgeous aren't they, I really can't take the credit for the picture, just captured what was there, but thankyou for the kind remarks.

Look forward to the pics Connie.

[LeftCoastAngler]

Originally Posted by pikevi

Two storey high Birds of Paradise? That would be a beautiful sight. I have seen Traveler's palms growing that high.

YES! I've seen some rather large ones down in the keys. Those and the Canary Island Palms. BIG $

~LCA.

[Gladys47]

RMT131. Your post gave me a chuckle, which I needed. I have a wonderful neighbor. We share a great plant passion. I would never touch her plants without permission, tho I do go stroll her yard regularally with permission. I asked her permission the other night to go "rape her roses", looking for hips. She cracked up and gave me permission to go rape her plants anytime I felt the urge. No I'm sure it will be a regulaR joke! She knows I will share anything I grow. I did get a ton of Pride of Barbados seeds. But no rose hips! She is single and around DH and my age, Since we WERE in construction we kind of scratch each others back. And takes me to county AG meetings and sales ,etc.. when she feels I need a get away from it all few hours! I am truley blessed with wonderful neighbors,Wouldn't trade them for the world! But NO I wouldn't just go chopping on her Bird of paradise,Tho she does have a nice one! It wa abancoded at a local house in a hugh pot full of fire ants a few years and DH went and got it for her! (THIS WAS BEFORE HE GOT SICK) sO i KNOW SHE WOULD SHARE. i JUST HAVE THIS PASSION FOR for growing things from seeds! I'm a seed snatcher everywhere I go! Shamless of me but I can't help myself! Tho If possible I always get permissiom! I could just picture her horror if she came home and I had hacked up her plant! Yes, I think that would upset her! I still wish I could find where to het the seeds. I know they must make them but have no luck googling. I will tho. I am determined! Theres something special about growing something from a seed. When I get more experienced I am gonna try flasking orchids! Just don't feel like I am ready yet! Gladys

[stevemack]

Hi guys my first post to the forum so be gentle ive just landscaped my garden and ive just been given 2 mature bird of paradise ive done all the rite things up to now i think its been planted 2 week one as already flowered and the head as died off, the other is still flowering and as just produced a few more petals (if thats the rite word) in the last couple of days ive noticed a couple of the stems have wilted over and bent is this normal or is the plant telling me its dying.Just one more question what happens to the flower head once its flowered does it drop its petals? any help will be much appreciated.

steve.

[pikevi]

welcome to the forum stevemack.

Have you checked for the presence of aphids or some other parasites?

It may be that it flowered soon before it established itself in the new environment and hence became weak.

I assume that the soil drains well.

I only have one plant and is not doing well either. It has been indoors for so long and I can only hope it will pick up during this summer.

I hope someone will help you more in identifying your problem.

Good luck.

[jerrymeola]

Wow was I shocked at $70 for a bird. Here in my area $9 is still high.

You can easily tell the different in color by the shape of the leaf. The yellow bird is long stem with the leaf portion starting about 2/3 up and narrow, never getting much over 3 feet. The white bird lead starts near the base and much thicker.

The yellow bird grows from the ground and the white bird grows off a trunk and can be mistaken for a traveler's palm on a quick glance.

My white bird was in a pot for 3 years only growing and losing 1 leaf a year. Now in the ground I have to cut 4-5 20 foot trunks out of it each year.

[pikevi]

jerrymeola: A 4-foot high plant can cost as much as $150 here in Toronto. I have not seen any for less than $75,here.

We have to keep them in pots so that they can be moved indoors during the colder months.

[stevemack]

Hi Pikevi thanyou for your reply theres definatly no parasites, the plant that had flowered in my garden was already flowered when i received it from a freind it just flowered more after a few days of re-planting like i say my main worry was why a few of the leaf stems wilted and bent.

steve.

[kid a]

wow! I'm glad I saw this! I had taken this picture at the conservatory and had no idea what it was! I think it's what it is anyways. If it's not its still beautiful!

[Greenhouse Gal]

Hi Kortney,

Sorry to burst your bubble. What you show is some type of Heliconia. Although one of the common names of Heliconia is false bird of paradise so maybe you are not so far off. See this site for more: Heliconia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Most of these are really big, or I would have one in a heart beat. )

[kid a]

oh, well! lol wouldn't be the first time I was wrong about a plant! I wasn't really sure but now (thanks to you :-)) I know what it is. It reminded me alot of it so I think thats funny that is often called the false bird of paradise! Thanks