My Bird of Paradise

I bought this Bird of Paradise plant at Costco about 3 years ago. Every summer I’d wait and wait for it to flower and it never did….until now! Isn’t it beautiful? I fed it with "Happy Naturals Foliar Feed" and within 1 week I got my first bud. I wish I had a better camera so you could all appreciate the beauty of this lovely flower. When I was younger, I never cared for the plant itself and every time I saw the flowers, they were old and wilted (kinda like me!). But now that I have learned to appreciate the beauty of plants, I can say that this Bird of Paradise plant is a beauty and I’m so happy to finally have a bloom!

A few facts on the Bird of Paradise:

• The plant was named Bird of Paradise because of the resemblance of the flower to the head of a beautiful bird in flight.


• The foliage resembles small banana leaves, a favorite in San Diego among landscapers and gardeners alike.


• Pollination occurs when a bird lands on the flower, looking for a little nectar. The pollen from the “anther” comes off on the breast of the bird as it brushes up against it. The bird will eventually fly away and land on another Bird of Paradise and the pollen will fall off or get rubbed onto the new plant and pollinate the plant. Weird, huh?


• The plant is a sun lover, but deep watering is in order when grown in a landscape.


• The Bird of Paradise flower is also known as the Crane Flower (due to it’s resemblance to the head of a crane).


• The plant is a native of South Africa and is closely related to the banana plant.


• It could take up to 7 years for the first flower to appear on a Bird of Paradise (which is why I waited 3 years to get my first one!)
  

Anyway, I wanted to share my first flower with all of you so you could enjoy its beauty too! If you'd like to try Happy Naturals Foliar Feed from The Happy Gardener, send me an email and I can help you out!

Happy Gardening!

Lore
Independent Garden Consultant
www.thehappygardener.info
loresgardens@yahoo.com