Friday, March 30, 2007

Bird of Paradise


I have been tracking my blog on Statcounter, and a recurring question being typed is how to care for the Bird of Paradise plant in the UK.
I have done a quick search to find some general information about it..
It is native from South Africa. It likes well lit situations, with at least four hours of sunshine a day.
They flower better when they are rootbound, so usually planted in large pots.
The soil needs to be a mix of peat, and sand so they have a free draining soil. as they will rot if left in soggy soil.
Watering is when the soil is somewhat dry. Let it dry out between watering. They need a 10-10-10 fertiliser plant feed every week in the summer and when flowering.
Watering is the once a week with feeding during the summer (from March to November) , maybe every two weeks during Autumn, and hardly any for winter and spring.
It likes to be warm during the day, and cooler at night.In the mild UK parts it can be brought outside into the garden.
I am growing mine on a south facing windowsill.I think it will have to grow all this year before it might flower next spring.
I loved this image of the plant from an American needlework company.I will give their website address here:

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