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For a flamboyant flourish
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Bright sunlight helps the Bird of Paradise bloom and blossom better
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STRELITZIA REGINAE (Bird of Paradise) is an exotic plant with flamboyant, colourful bracts and flowers that resemble a tropical bird. These are clump-forming plants belonging to Musaceae (Banana family), with big dark green leaves on long leaf stalks in a fan-like arrangement, originally from South Africa.
It is a large plant in the wild, but its growth is considerably restricted in a pot, where it will grow no taller than a metre. This restriction encourages early flowering. The leathery leaves are oblong to spear-shaped, about 20-cms long and eight-cms wide and have sturdy, cylindrical 30-cms long leaf stalks, arising from sheaths in the base of the plant. Flowering takes place when the plant is six years old.
Flower-stalks rise from the axils of the lower leaves in early summer. The remarkable flower head consists of 20-cms long boat-shaped bracts, held in a horizontal position from which three petalled, bright orange flowers emerge during the course of two weeks. The flower has a dark blue or purple, tongue-like projection in the centre. These erect blooms, each up to 10 cms give the flower head its crested appearance. The boat-like bract is green with purple markings.
Give strelitzia bright light, at least two to three hours a day of direct sunlight. They will not flower if kept in shade. Water moderately. Apply liquid fertilizer once in two weeks. The soil should be rich with peat and sand and decayed manure, for containers. Good garden soil is essential, if planted outdoors.
Propagation can be done by dividing old clumps or separating a section with two to three leaves, with some roots attached. Flowers are used as cut flowers.
Apart from its need for sunlight, along with a cool rest period, this exotic plant is not particularly difficult for the amateur indoor gardener to grow. Top with fresh mixture every year. Do not disturb the mature, flowering plants, as they will stop flowering if subjected to any sort of displacement.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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