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Bird of Paradise

© Norine Woods

Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia Reginae) is a very attractive plant. It's sometimes called the Crane Flower and it's a member of the banana family (Muscae.) The flower resembles the bird of paradise in flight, and thus the name.

Bird of Paradise originated in South Africa. The flowers are very large and look like a bird's head in bright orange with a blue or purple beak. The foliage, which resembles the leaves of the banana plant,is made up of oblong leathery leaves up to eighteen inches long, on long stalks that rise directly from the base of the plant. It makes an attractive foliage plant and it is often sold as such.

If you are growing this plant from seed, and want to see it flower, patience is a must. Flowering can take anywhere from five to ten years, and only then if the plant is well cared for. Propagation is relatively easy, however, and can be done from either division or seed. One thing it does need is bright light at all times, winter and summer. For best reults, it should spend three months of the summer outdoors in the full sun.

Another thing this plant needs is lots of room. It can grow up to three or four, sometimes five feet high. It likes a moist loam, with good drainage. Use a slow release fertilizer every three months during the growing season. Mist leaves occasionally.

This is not an easy plant to grow. The attractive foliage cannot satisfy when you know what lovely flowers it can produce. But you cannot rush it. Take care of it. Love it. And, as I mentioned earlier, be patient, and the flowers will come. Believe me, it's well worth the wait. This plant does best when pot bound

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