The plant is grown under sunlight, and therefore does not have to get used to a sunny spot at your home. By Division There are five Strelitzia species. This works slower but the effects last longer. Read more articles about Bird Of Paradise. Pruning Strelitzia. Take all leaves and stems back to just above the ground. If your plant is in a pot, bring it indoors during very cold temperatures to prevent freezing of the leaves and flowers. There’s nothing more exotic than an indoor bird of paradise, but growing a bird of paradise as a houseplant requires sun, quite a lot of it, in order to thrive and bloom. Last Updated: April 23, 2020 Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Red Bird of Paradise flowers are very hardy and can handle heavy pruning two times per year if the plant is healthy. Houseplant The Bird of Paradise is considered the queen of the indoor plant world. Never remove more than one third of plant material per season and follow up with good cultural care. There are five species in the plant genus Strelitzia, native to South Africa. Its attractive large pointy leaves remain dark green in color with curious bluish-green undersides throughout the year. Its broad, arching leaves make a dramatic, graceful statement in your home. Insufficient sunlight is the top reason that a bird of paradise inside doesn’t bloom. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. There are also desert-thriving bird of paradise plants found in another genus – red bird of paradise (Caesaepinia pulcherrima), yellow bird of paradise (C. gilliesii), and the Mexican bird of paradise (C. mexicana). The bird of paradise plant (Strelitzia reginae) is a surprisingly hardy tropical beauty, with upright, paddle-shaped leaves and striking, long-lasting flowers. It will grow quite large outside, 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide, and will become ragged looking if not pruned often. It’s okay to begin pruning before all of the blooms on the plant have died. By using our site, you agree to our. The tangled knot of roots can stress the plant and deprive it of nutrients, water, and food. Look for brown, dead flowers, and cut the stem of these growths as close as possible to the base of the plant. Larger species like S. nicolai or S. alba grow up to 30 feet tall, which makes them difficult to grow in your home unless you live in a mansion with an enormous, well-lit foyer.. Also, help answer other questions about General Gardening and Container Bird of Paradise Plants, and plants at GardeningKnowHow.com If the center of the plant is still too crowded, use long handled pruners and remove selected stems and leaves. When using the saw, work slowly. It can be grown outdoors, as a landscape specimen in frost-free areas. Pruning. The inflorescence is composed of a dark blue bract, white sepals and a bluish-purple tongue. In the landscape it forms a thick shrub. Even indoors, a Bird of Paradise plant can easily reach a height of 6ft-7ft. Make sure to remove leaves from time to time. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. It has a nice symmetrical shape and large oval-shaped canopy-type leaves. Tight quarters. This large, upright plant adds a rich, tropical flair to your space as its glossy, banana-shaped leaves fan out. You can prune your Bird of Paradise easily when they’ve finished blooming! Thinning is another way of cleaning up a bird of paradise. The bird of paradise plant is very popular in outdoor landscape decorating because it requires a large space in order to mature in its maximum size. Bird of paradise pruning is a more serious affair. Removing Sago Palm Pups - I have read articles describing the removal of the pups from sago palms. The flowers will last 2 to 3 weeks before dropping petals and dying. You may wish to reduce the size of an older plant or remove leaves and stems that bar a pathway or window. a lovely tropical looking houseplant. Bird of paradise can be cleaned up and trimmed at any point, but serious pruning should wait until early spring. You may wish to reduce the size of an older plant or remove leaves and stems that bar a pathway or window. In colder climates, this plant will thrive in … The Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) is a stunning exotic tropical plant with distinct flowers and leaves like a banana plant.Bird of paradise flowers look like the head of a crane or birds from the family Paradisaeidae—commonly called “birds-of-paradise.”Although this is a tropical flowering plant, birds of paradise can grow in pots indoors. Bird of Paradise is a stylishly sophisticated choice to be kept as an indoor houseplant. Do make sure to keep an eye on it during hot summer days: the … These plants can easily grow to be up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter, so refrain from planting other flowers in the surrounding area. Feeding. Use loppers, hand pruners or a pruning saw, but never hedge trimmers which will make rough cuts and leave ragged, damaged edges. A male bird of paradise has a plumage which has long feathers of yellow and white shades, this bird has blue beak, brownish body feathers which have a hint of orange in them. Don't over-water, as the plant doesn't need much moisture. To my mind, trimming is different than pruning, and thinning is another thing altogether. Need to know how to prune a bird of paradise? –> In terms of feeding, you can give your Bird Of Paradise a drink with a balanced organic liquid houseplant fertilizer in the spring. If you hit a particularly dense area, use your pruning shears to pre-cut some of the stems to make the area a little easier to cut through. The flowers are excellent for cutting. This can form a compacted, hard ball that comes out of the pot with effort, retaining the shape of the pot. However, there are a few things to keep in mind to help them thrive in optimum condition: Flowering Bird of Paradise Varieties. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. A Bird of Paradise that is trimmed in this way will normally grow back within 1-2 blooming seasons if treated with water and fertilizer. Place it near your sunniest window. 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Always try to remove any dead foliage as close to the stump of the plant as possible to maintain the trimmed appearance of the plant. Do not use hedge trimmers on your Bird of Paradise because this can cause irreversible damage to the plant. Bird of paradise plants grow wild among other shrubs along riverbanks in many parts of South Africa, and are important sources of nectar for birds. You might need a friend or neighbor to hold it steady while you’re trimming to avoid getting hurt with the shears. Orange Bird Of Paradise features bold spikes of orange flowers with blue overtones rising above the foliage from late winter to late fall. Try to maintain the shape of the flower in a circle to ensure easy access to all sides of the flower. About the Bird of Paradise Plant . wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. This is the first opportunity for pruning birds of paradise, but not the last. The anthurium's tube-shaped blooms sit atop long stalks and are dark pink. Generally speaking, there is very little pruning required for White Bird of Paradise plants. A rootbound plant means that the roots have completely taken up the pot, often circling and creating a dense web of roots. There are five species of bird of paradise, in Strelizia genus, and not all of them are suitable for growing indoors.. Remove dead flowers to the base of the plant and clean up any old vegetation that has dropped in or around the plant. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/bop/bird-of-paradise-pruning.htm, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cut-back-bird-paradise-40632.html, https://www.green.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/LNR-SOP-703-Pruning-Bird-of-Paradise.pdf, http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/bird-of-paradise.html, https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1898, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. This helps your plant to look clean and colorful year round! The slow-growing Strelitzia juncea grows up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and has leaves that disappear over time, giving the plant appearance of a waterside reed or rush. How to Grow a Bird of Paradise as a Houseplant. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. If your plant is simply growing too large, remove the outer edges of the plant by cutting the stem and leaf to the base. In pots, skip repotting and let stems multiply. Pot not included. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The White Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia alba, is a tree-like plant that can reach up to 33 feet (10 m) tall and is not suitable for a small garden. For more tips from our Horticulturalist co-author, including how to keep Bird of Paradise plants safe during frosts, keep reading! Apply the trimming and pruning techniques and assess the effect. It is an evergreen perennial with large paddle shaped leaves, and can grow to very tall. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. The strelitzia group of plants have flowers which have colors which match the yellow, blue, and brown shades and hence the resemblance. Growing bird of paradise plants from seed can take three to 10 years, but propagating them by division produces new plants much more quickly. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Q. Bird-of-Paradise Houseplant - My bird-of-paradise is 4 years old and has never bloomed. You can divide it with a shovel and saw for replanting elsewhere. Master using Zoom and feel more confident online. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 52,292 times. Keep the clivia from exposure to excessive cold if it is a houseplant to prevent damage at the cut areas. These instructions were very clear.". The Bird of Paradise flower is brightly colored and can grow extremely large as long as you prune it after it has finished blooming. Birds of paradise are large, relatively easy to grow plants that lend a bold tropical flair to any indoor space. Bird-of-paradise and white bird-of-paradise both belong to the plant family Strelitziaceae. "I needed to understand the process of dead-heading my Bird of Paradise. It’s not just their sheer size and impressive foliage but the plant’s namesake blooms. The bird of paradise pruning should be done in early spring. 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