With its magnificent flowers and large green leaves the bird of paradise creates a tropical flair. Like an exotic fan, the orange-yellow and blue shining petals are stretching towards the sky. It doesn’t seem so, but the Strelitzia is quite unpretentious.
In it’s homeland in South Africa, the bird of paradise is widespread. On the Canary Islands, it is often found in nature too. In the 18th century the Strelitzia came to Europe for the first time as an ornamental plant and finally reached Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. Since then, the exotic plant has been cultivated here. The Strelitzia was named after the German Princess Charlotte von Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The wife of the English King George III, who lived from 1744 to 1818, was the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1773 the Strelitzia was discovered by a British man and named after the queen.
Bird of paradise thrives with regular, weekly watering, but you should let a soil dry out a bit before watering again. Water a container plant until you see water running out of a pot, whether indoors or out.
To prune a plant to encourage bushy new growth, snip off the dominant buds on select stems, staggering the cuts to encourage varied growth.
The Strelitzia benefits from a warm location with a temperature of around 25°C.Temperature and humidity should be kept as constant as possible during cultivation.
Whether it be plastic or clay, make sure the pot you select has drainage holes in the bottom to prevent over-watering.
