HOUSEPLANTS: How to care for bird of paradise (strelitzia reginae)

Is it only me that feels like we have been under a constant cloud since November?

My one solace is that when I get inside I have a slice of the tropics thanks to my houseplants.

While any houseplant can create a bright and sunny feel to your home, there is one plant that will give you the feeling of the tropics no matter the time of year – and that is the bird of paradise.

The strelitzia reginae hails from South Africa but is now grown all over the world.

In the UK we can only keep them indoors, as this plant likes the warmth.

The bird of paradise is a very impressive houseplant that is a lot easier to care for than people think.

Its glossy banana-shaped leaves stand tall and proud and occasionally split, just as it does in the wild to protect itself from stormy conditions.

It can stand a variety of light conditions and prefers to be kept on the dry side rather than have constant watering.

But the best thing about this plant is its flower.

Among all houseplants this has to be the queen of flowering.

Although it takes a few years and the right conditions, it’s well worth the wait.

The two common ones are the orange and white strelitzia and it’s why it gets its name, the flowers look like a parrot’s beak peeking from the top of the plant.

Although a hardy plant I recommend you:

• keep it in a bright spot of your home

• occasionally mist the leaves in summer

• only repot every few years – a pot-bound strelitzia is happy strelitzia

• water once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter

• feed your plant a good fertiliser in the summer months.

So if, like me, you’re tired of being tired of the winter months, introduce more plants and definitely get yourself a bird of paradise. You will feel that tropical vibe in no time.

Until next time, planters.

Plant One On Me is at 11 Upper Millergate, Bradford BD1 1SX, part of the Sunbridge Wells complex.

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