Strelitzia Nicolai – Giant Bird of Paradise.
Strelitzia Nicolai will bring an amazing sense of the tropics to your home. Native to South Africa, it thrives in full sun. Mature plants in nature will produce the magnificent white, bird like flowers, with a purple / blue tongue, which it is famous for.
Fast growing, easy care, and the ideal centre piece plant for a conservatory. Although not frost hardy it can be enjoyed all Summer in the garden, or on the patio.
Keep it pot bound and you may well find that plants of approx. 5-6 years old will flower, this will also restrict the size of the plant if you want to keep it more manageable.
These are wonderful plants, so follow these tips to enjoy:
Summer care.
Strelitzia love to bask in full sun, so make sure to put it in the sunniest spot that you can.
Strelitzia are thirsty, and hungry when they are actively growing. Keep the plant well-watered during the hottest times of the year, just allow the top of the soil to dry slightly between watering.
Fertilise twice a month with a balanced liquid houseplant feed as per instructions.
Best kept in average to warm temperatures, 20-28c is ideal.
Happy with general levels of humidity during Spring and Summer, although will benefit from regular misting during Winter in centrally heated dry air conditions.
Strelitzia leaves split naturally, to reduce the amount of damage that occasional strong winds can do, and to allow light to reach the lower leaves of the plant. Therefore mature plants have a certain shabby chic appearance.
You can move your Strelitzia outdoors as soon as night time temperatures are above 13c. Introduce it gradually so it can adjust to the stronger sun. Bring back in once temperatures start to drop below 13c again.
The ideal plant for that often tricky, scorching hot in summer, and quite cool in Winter, conservatory.
During cooler months growth will be slower so reduce the amount and frequency of water. Allow to dry slightly more, and don`t be too hasty if it seems to take a lot longer between waterings.
Do not fertilise.
Repot once the roots have completely filled the pot, approx. every 2-3 years is a good rule of thumb.
Strelitzia are classified as toxic to pets, although it`s the fruits and seeds that are the cause of vomiting and nausea. Since it`s uncommon to flower and seed, then toxicity is considered low. Best practice is to keep out of reach of pets and children.
