Bird of Paradise
Hailing from South Africa, the Bird of Pradise plant is sometimes also known as the Crane Flower. A great place to see the Bird of paradise plant is at the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens in Cape Town
The evergreen leaves are strong and shiny, up to 70 cm long and about 20 cm wide, and the spectacular flowers appear on long stalks above the leaves. The plant grows to heights of two metres when conditions are right
It is of course the appearance of the flowers that have given the plant its name.
The plant does need sunny warm conditions to grow, although it is tolerant of dry conditions and otherwise quite easy to grow. It is now found as a spectacular garden plant in many places in the USA (especially Florida, and California where it is the official state flower), in Europe and in Australia.
The plant is usually grown from seed, and takes at least 3 - 5 years before it will flower. After that the flowers may appear several times during the year.
Division of an existing plant is also possible, and nurseries sell more established plants.
The Bird of Paradise plant is not tolerant of frost and will need protection to avoid damage to both the leaves and the flowers.
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