An Exotic Plant Well-Suited for Outdoor Growing Conditions Down Under
While native to Africa and Central America, the bird of paradise plant has naturalized beautifully in tropical and subtropical gardens across Australia. With its striking foliage and showy blooms resembling the plumage of colorful birds, it’s no wonder this plant has become a garden favorite.
A Brief History
The scientific nameStrelitzia reginae references Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III of England. First introduced to Europe in the late 18th century, it quickly gained popularity as an exotic ornamental. In subsequent centuries, bird of paradise plants were distributed throughout global botanical gardens and eventually found their way to private collections Down Under.
Today several varieties have naturalized across warm locales in Australia, thriving in ideal conditions similar to their native habitats in tropical Africa and Central America. Their architectural foliage and colorful blooms continue to delight gardeners with a flair for the unique and eye-catching.
Bird of Paradise plant indoors
While well-suited for the warmer growing zones in Australia, bird of Paradise can also thrive indoors for those in cooler climates. The keys are providing adequate light, humidity, soil drainage, and temperatures above 15°C.
A bright, east-facing window typically provides sufficient light indoors. For lower light conditions, supplement with grow lights mounted 3-6 inches above leaves for 6-8 hours daily. Maintain indoor humidity levels around 50% with a pebble tray or humidifier. Pot in a permeable soil mix and water only when the surface is dry to keep roots from sitting in soggy soil.
Trim spent flower stalks to maintain a neat appearance and encourage rebloom. Indoor varieties like ‘Star Girl’ stay more compact and are perfect for brightening up a sunroom or living area with their exotic tropical flair. With proper care, bird of Paradise is definitely a showstopping indoor plant option for much of Australia year-round.
Bird of paradise care outdoor
Growing bird of paradise outdoors takes advantage of its preferred warm, humid conditions. It thrives in zones 9-11 (subtropical to tropical), where winter lows stay above 10°C. In cooler zones, the site is in a protected, sunny microclimate or grows in large containers to move undercover in winter.
Well-draining, organic soil amended with compost is ideal. Apply a balanced organic fertilizer in spring and summer. Water deeply and infrequently, allowing the top few inches of soil to dry a little bit between waterings. Mulch around the base to retain moisture while preventing root rot in wet soils.
Prune off spent flower stalks and any dead or damaged foliage to encourage new growth. Some propagating can also be done via seed sowing indoors in spring or dividing clumps in fall or early spring. With the right care outdoors, a bird of paradise becomes a spectacular focal point in any tropical or subtropical Australian garden.
Facts about bird of paradise
A few more interesting facts about this ornamental tropical plant:
- Birds of paradise produce showy flower bracts, not true blooms. The feathery structures that resemble birds in flight are actually specialized leaves called bracts.
- Flowers emerge on a tall stalk above broad banana-like leaves and can appear in various colors like yellow, orange, red, and white among different cultivars.
- The plants produce flower stalks only after reaching maturity, usually 3-4 years from seed or when the plant is at least 60cm tall for some varieties.
- They are generally long-lived perennials, with mature specimens potentially living 15-30 years or more when grown in optimal conditions.
- Propagation occurs primarily via seed or division. Seeds maintain genetic traits but take 1-2 years to flower, while divisions flower within a year or two from an established mother plant.
- Their banana-like foliage remains evergreen year-round in tropical and subtropical zones, making them a striking landscape specimen even when not in bloom.
Best spot for a bird of paradise plant
For maximal growth and flowering, a bird of paradise deserves an ideal location with plentiful sunlight, warmth, humidity, and drainage. Here are some top spot considerations around the Australian home garden:
- Full sun is best (minimum 6 hours direct sun daily) in partial shade conditions, blooms may be less prolific. Position in a southeast or east-facing spot.
- Protected areas like the northern/northwestern side of a building benefit from shelter from strong winds and afternoon sun while maintaining warmth.
- Near a water feature like a pond adds humidity, while mulching around the root zone retains moisture.
- Free-draining soil is a must. Amend clay soils with organic matter such as compost before planting. Raised beds or containers offer an alternative.
- Near an outdoor area allows close proximity to admire the architectural foliage and showy blooms up close.
With strategic placement, getting the sun, heat, and moisture these plants adore, your bird of paradise will truly become a focal point in the Australian landscape.
FAQ
What is the purpose of the bird of Paradise plant?
While their striking blooms resembling colorful birds may seem purely ornamental, bird of paradise plants serve an important ecological function. Their showy bracts or “flowers” are actually specialized leaves called bracts that mimic true flowers to attract pollinators. Various bird of paradise cultivars and species rely on hummingbirds, honeyeaters, sunbirds, and other nectar-feeding birds to transfer pollen between plants and enable reproduction.
Through evolution, their vibrant colors and feathery structures have developed to precisely mimic plumage birds find attractive to their species. This ensures bird of paradise plants reproduce successfully while also providing a valuable food source for avian pollinators. For gardeners, they offer vibrant year-round structural interest and tropical flair. So in a sense, despite their common name, birds of paradise benefit both birds and humans alike through their botanical strategies for survival.
Is Bird of Paradise slow-growing?
The growth rate of the bird of paradise can vary depending on cultivar, maturity, and growing conditions. When young, most varieties establish at a moderate pace of approximately 1-2 feet of new growth per year. However, they are generally not considered fast-growing ornamental plants. It typically takes 3-4 years from seed for a bird of paradise to reach flowering size around 60cm tall. Divisions and cuttings may bloom slightly sooner at 1-2 years, given a ready root system.
Once past the juvenile phase, though, the bird of paradise enters a vigorous phase of increased vertical growth to eventually form tall, statuesque specimens 2-3 meters high and wide over 5-10 years when conditions are optimal. While not aggressively fast, providing adequate sun, nutrients, and water allows them to develop respectably within a mid-range home gardener’s timeframe before slowing again at maturity.
Is Bird of paradise good for the bedroom?
In most cases, birds of paradise are too large at maturity to be suitable as indoor bedroom plants. Even smaller cultivars could reach over 1.5m tall, posing potential hazards near a sleeping area if leaves or falling debris were to impact nearby furniture or beds.
As tropical plants, birds of paradise may also proliferate pollen, attract small insects, or in rare cases harbor spider mites indoors, posing sanitation concerns close to where one rests at night. Ventilation also increases the risk of allergens affecting sleep quality for sensitive individuals.
While some compact cultivars like ‘Star Girl’ could work temporarily in a bright bedroom or living area with diligent care, most varieties are better displayed elsewhere indoors where they won’t impact occupants. Bedrooms typically lack sufficient light levels, which is also required to prevent leggy etiolated growth.
Are birds of paradise good luck?
In some tropical island cultures where birds of paradise are native, local folklore associates their vivid blooms with fortune, prosperity, and new beginnings. However, there is no scientific evidence that simply owning a bird of paradise confers any intrinsic luck or protection.
Rather than imbuing supernatural properties, their symbolic link to good fortune likely stems from an appreciation of vibrant life and optimism naturally represented by the tropics. Birds of paradise also require nurturing and proper growing conditions to flourish, so keeping one healthy could metaphorically signify vision, effort, and willingness to cultivate positivity.
While aesthetic qualities like beauty are certainly subjective, from a horticultural perspective, their cultural meanings are more aligned with attitude than any practical propitious quality. Gardening with a bird of paradise may uplift the spirit, but it does not definitively impact life outcomes either way in reality.
