Bird of paradise

Bird of paradise: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, stemless clump up to 1.5 m tall and about 1 m wide, with leaves on long stalks.

Leaves

Large, leathery and paddle-shaped, grey-green with a paler midrib. They tear easily along the veins; that is normal.

Flowers

A horizontal, beak-shaped bract from which orange and blue flowers emerge one by one, standing up like a crest.

Fruit

A woody capsule with black seeds bearing a bright orange tuft. The seeds and fruit are mildly poisonous.

Roots

Thick and fleshy; they soon fill the pot. A full pot encourages flowering.

Flowering: April–September · Plants: March–April

Why grow it?

• One of the most exotic flowers you can grow indoors: orange and blue, like a bird’s head.
• A long flowering season, from April to September, with new flowers emerging one after another from the same bract.
• A stately foliage plant for a bright room or conservatory, even without flowers.
• An eye-catcher on a sunny patio in summer.
• The flowers last a long time in a vase.

Bird of paradise: where does it grow best?

• The sunniest spot in the house, by a south- or west-facing window. Too little light means no flowers.
• From late May to September it can go outside, in a sunny spot out of the wind.
• Normal room temperature in summer; in winter preferably cool, at 10–15 °C, and never below 5 °C.
• Fertile, humus-rich potting compost with some clay or loam, which holds moisture but drains well.
• Allow a space about 1 m wide: the leaves fan out a long way.

Light

Sunny

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately

Size

1.5 m tall, 1 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 5 °C

Goes well with

• Olive tree: Another sun lover for the patio, with the same bright, cool winter.
• Citrus tree: Fragrant flowers and fruit, and the same summer outside and winter indoors.
• Oleander: Another sunny container plant that loves warmth.
• African lily: Blue flower heads beside the orange bird heads on the patio.

Bird of paradise: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot only in March–April, and only if the pot is really too small: a full pot encourages flowering.
2. Choose a heavy, sturdy pot with a drainage hole, only a few centimetres larger than the old one.
3. Put a layer of clay granules or crocks in the bottom for drainage.
4. Use fertile potting compost mixed with some clay or loam and garden compost.
5. Set the plant at the same depth as before, firm it in and water until water runs out of the bottom.

Care

Water

From April to September water regularly, letting the top few centimetres dry out in between. Much less in winter: only when the compost is almost dry.

Feeding

From April to September, houseplant or flowering-plant fertiliser every two weeks.

Light

The more light, the better. Turn the pot now and then so it grows evenly.

Moving outside

Let it get used to the outdoors in partial shade for a week first, or the leaves will scorch.

Leaves

Wipe off dust with a damp cloth; this also helps against red spider mite and scale insects.

Tip: For the vase, cut the stem when the first flower is just emerging from the bract: in the vase a few more will often follow. Change the water regularly and it will last a long time.

Bird of paradise: when to prune it?

When: No real pruning is needed. Just keep it tidy all year round.

How:

• Cut faded flower stems off as low as possible.
• Remove withered or yellow leaves at the base with a sharp knife.
• There is no need to cut off torn leaves: that is normal and part of the plant’s character.

Caution: The seeds and fruit are mildly poisonous. Keep them out of reach of children and pets.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April, when repotting, cut a large clump into pieces with a sharp knife. Each piece needs a few strong roots and at least two or three shoots. Divided plants often skip a year of flowering.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in spring in moist seed compost at 20–25 °C. Germination can take weeks to months, and it is several years before the first flowers.

Bird of paradise: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy. Bring it indoors in September, before the nights turn cold, and never let it drop below 5 °C.
• A cool, bright winter rest at 10–15 °C encourages flowering in spring.
• In winter, water much less and do not feed.
• Do not stand it right next to a radiator: dry, warm air attracts red spider mite and scale insects.

Diseases and pests

• No flowers: The plant is too young, too dark, in too large a pot or kept too warm in winter. Patience, sun and a cool winter rest help.
• Scale and mealybug: Brown scales or white fluffy tufts on the leaves and in the leaf axils. Wipe them off with a damp cloth or a cotton bud.
• Red spider mite: Fine webbing and yellow speckles on the leaves, in dry, warm air. Shower the plant and move it somewhere cooler.
• Root rot: The leaf bases go soft and the leaves turn yellow. The cause is too much water, especially in winter: let the compost dry out between waterings.
• Torn leaves: Normal and not a disease: in the wild, too, the leaves tear in the wind.

Through the year

• January: Keep cool and bright. Little water.
• March: Repot or divide if the pot is really too small.
• April: Water more again and start feeding. Flowering begins.
• May: At the end of May, move outside, first for a week in partial shade.
• June: Flowering. Feed every two weeks.
• July: Flowering. Water regularly on the patio.
• August: Flowering. Cut off faded flower stems.
• September: Last flowers. Bring indoors before the cold nights.
• October: Indoors in a bright, cool spot. Stop feeding.
• November: Water less.
• December: Cool winter rest at 10–15 °C.

Edible and useful

Not edible. The seeds and fruits of bird of paradise are mildly poisonous: swallowing them can cause nausea, vomiting and stomach ache, and dogs and cats fall ill from them too. Indoors it rarely sets seed, but outdoors in summer or after hand pollination it can: the hard seeds with a tuft of bright orange attract children, so cut off faded flowers or keep seed out of their reach. The leaves and flowers themselves are of little danger. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The plant is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of the British king George III; reginae means of the queen.
• In South Africa, sunbirds use the flower as a landing perch. When a bird sits on the blue petals, they open and dust its feet with pollen.
• The bird of paradise is the official flower of the American city of Los Angeles.