How to grow Bird of paradise

Strelitzia reginae · Strelitzia, crane flower

Clump-forming evergreen from South Africa with large grey-green leaves and orange and blue flowers shaped like a bird's head. Indoors it flowers in winter and spring, but usually only once the plant is large and five to ten years old.

Quick facts

Type	Houseplant
Family	Strelitziaceae
Light	Full sun
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 12 °C
Where it grows	At home

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 4 days	12…27 °C	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 28 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 42 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 56 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 70 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 84 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 98 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 112 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 126 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 140 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 154 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 168 days into the stage
Winter rest	every 10 days	12…27 °C	—

Growing notes

Light

Needs lots of bright light, beside a large sunny window or in a conservatory. A little shade while it is in flower keeps strong sun from bleaching the colours.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained loam-based compost. Repot every couple of years in spring, after flowering, into a pot only slightly larger; being slightly pot-bound encourages flowering.

Care

In spring and summer water plentifully so the compost stays moist but not saturated, which can mean daily in warm weather; water less through autumn and from late November let the compost get fairly dry between waterings. Keep it above 10–12 °C all year and mist the leaves or stand the pot on damp gravel. Feed a liquid houseplant fertiliser every two weeks in spring and summer, and each spring replace the top 5 cm of compost. Mildly toxic to cats and dogs, mainly the fruit and seeds, causing nausea and vomiting.

Pests and diseases of Bird of paradise

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.