The Birds of Paradise
Everyone is familiar with the standard Bird of Paradise (Strelezia reginae), that I will refer to as the Orange Bird from here on, which has a unique bird shaped flower (pictured above) that is brilliant orange and deep purple. With it’s appealing tropical appearance the plant has become a very common plant in many Australian gardens as it requires very little (to no) attention once established. The plant grows pretty much on its own, as the one that is out the back and pre-existing when we began renting the current residence has proven. It got its first prune last weekend and is a big bushy healthy specimen. I will be taking a cutting from the Orange Bird soon so that I have this plant once we move to a new house early in the new year.
The plant pictured above is another fine example of a Bird of Paradise. It is the White Bird of Paradise (Strelezia nicolai). As can be clearly seen the White Bird of Paradise has a magnificent white and blue flower in the same bird shape. After some searching at local nurseries I managed to secure one of these plants and it is now in a massive pot full of the RichGro potting mix. I am hoping for some flowers soon as I am quite keen to see them up close and personal. Thankfully the flowering season is the summer months so it should not be a long wait.
Apart from the distinctive flowers of each variety the other major difference is the potential sizes the plants will grow to. The Orange Bird will grow to 1.2m high x 90cm wide. Whereas the White Bird grows up to 10m high and 5m wide. Neither require a lot of water and are suitable for pots and can be grown indoors (size restrictions obviously). They are both attractive plants and I am very keen to see both flower soon.
PS: The new page header is a photo of my plants leaves from up close. The sun brightened just as I took the snap and produced a nice shot.
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May 1st, 2008 at 7:40 pm
PRICE ON WHITE BIRD OF PARADISE,ANS SIZE IT COME IN POT AND IN HIGHT
September 9th, 2008 at 11:15 pm