Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia reginae. Specified where a single plant has to hold a large space on its own. It flowers only once the clump is crowded, which takes three to four years.

Care

• Light — bright, with some direct sun; indoors it wants the brightest window in the room
• Water — regularly in growth, sparingly in winter
• Pot — leave it tight. Repotting too often delays flowering by years
• Feed — fortnightly through the growing season

Supplied as an established clump at 100–130 cm in a 14 inch pot.