Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)

See Orange Bird of Paradise grow notes for more info.

The Bird of Paradise is a stunning plant; it has a uniquely shaped flower which resembles a bird’s head (A Bird-of-Paradise...). Flowers are orange and blue and flower most of the year. The warmer the climate, the more they will bloom. It has paddle shaped leathery leaves that are aprox 20cm long and 15cm wide. It forms great clumps of over a meter wide, up to 2 meters high.

The Strelitzia Reginae is a native to South Africa. It was introduced to European gardeners in 1773. It was named of King George’s wife, Queen (Queen = Reginae in Latin) Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Bird of Paradise should be planted in rich acidic soil. If your soil is not rich, add rotted manure or time release fertilizer to the hole when planting. Fertilize plants monthly. Give potted BOP’s a liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks. Crowd pots to achieve the most blooms. Plants should be planted in bright sun for the best flowers, in shade for the best looking foliage. A spot where the sun is filtered during the hottest parts of the day would be ideal; this way you get the beautiful green foliage and a decent amount of flowers. Strelitzia loves water, water frequently during hot times, less in winter. Don’t sog the soil if planted in a pot. Bird of Paradise is easily damaged by frost and freezing temperatures, but would recover if the ground doesn’t freeze.

Propagation: Strelitzia are propagated by division or by seed. Seed is very erratic and may take up to 2 years to germinate (commercially, it only takes a few weeks). The plant is ornithophilous, which requires nectar-eating birds to pollinate its flowers. Each flower has male and female organs, but they are not receptive to each other. In the wild the Sun Bird, which is native to South Africa, pollinates the flowers. Pollination occurs when the bird rests on the blue petals to sip the nectar. This in turn causes the blue petals to open, which coats the bird's feet and breast with pollen, which is deposited on the sticky part of the next Strelitzia flower they touch. The seed pods develop over the next six months and produce a pod with three sections of black seeds with bright orange arils.

Bird of Paradise provides bulk and mass to your garden and can be used as a small scrub. They look great with lower growing annuals or ground covers. Use in shrub borders and in planting islands and containers. Makes a showy and non-messy plant next to the pool, a beautiful potted specimen for homes & offices and is widely used in flower arrangements/cut flowers.

Common names: Bird of Paradise, Crane Flower

Supplied as:Plant 15-25cm tall

Thank you for visiting National Tropical Plants online nursery – Australia’s Bird of Paradise plant nursery, garden nursery & mail order nursery for garden plants & tropical plants. We’ll help you plant your own paradise!

Write a growing tip for this product!

Name :


Now please write a (short) growing tip....(min. 10, max. 2000 characters)

Characters written:

You may also be interested in this/these product(s)

Giant Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) m