White bird of paradise

[JLM]

So i decided today to snag a white bird at the orange store. I figure that it will die back every year, so why not? I have absolutely no clue how to care for these. Anything specific that they need? What would be a good watering schedule? Im still not sure where i want to plant it, so a question regarding this is how far away from the house should it be?

[aabell]

I'm not very familiar with the limits of their cold hardiness, but they are very tough plants and one of the easiest things you can grow in Florida imo. Slow for the first year or so while the roots establish but then can turn into a monster with lots of suckers, definitely give it space. Sun or part shade. Only really needs water for the first few months then will be fine on its own. 

[SubTropicRay]

I had a tall one (20 foot, 6 meters) snap and take out my main power line for 9 days when Hurricane Ian brushed us in October.  A few years earlier, we had a small tornado nearby that created enough wind to take another tall trunk down on my wife's car.  Lesson learned?  Don't let the trunks get tall in areas prone to wind.  There are a half dozen more trunks this tall on this particular plant.  I am having a stump grinder brought in to remove the entire thing.  This is a classic example of a plant that's nice to look at in someone else's garden.

[JLM]

  On 4/3/2023 at 1:40 PM, SubTropicRay said:

I had a tall one (20 foot, 6 meters) snap and take out my main power line for 9 days when Hurricane Ian brushed us in October.  A few years earlier, we had a small tornado nearby that created enough wind to take another tall trunk down on my wife's car.  Lesson learned?  Don't let the trunks get tall in areas prone to wind.  There are a half dozen more trunks this tall on this particular plant.  I am having a stump grinder brought in to remove the entire thing.  This is a classic example of a plant that's nice to look at in someone else's garden.

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Ive never seen one around here that was big, so i assume they die back to the ground each year. Sounds like the cold may be a blessing in this regard.

[Merlyn]

Mine burn the tops off every winter in the 25-30F range, but none have burned to the ground, yet.  I have 15 or 20 of them in the backyard.  Mine are in sandy soil with a single 2gph dripper on them each, running 30 mins per day.  I give them some 10-10-10 4x per year.

[Brian M]

A friend has a couple that are probably 10' + tall. They get no irrigation other than rain and grows well enough to have a bunch of pups too. 

[Merlyn]

I am going to try some in my front yard tropical bed that gets drenched every morning.  I'm not sure if they want more or less water then I am giving them.  I know that the orange bird of paradise are okay in the tropical bed as well as an open sunny sandy spot.  With lots of water they are definitely growing faster and taller.

[Rivera]

Native to exposed coastal dunes and sandy coastal forest of the Eastern Cape of SA and northwards into Mozambique. I think it mostly grows along watercourses. 

It's generally treated as a xeric plant in San Francisco, but it LOVES water. As others have noted, a regular supply of water supports vigorous growth, too vigorous for some.

My neighbor has one that leans into my yard. It's in sand and it isn't watered directly, but it responds well to periods of rainfall. It's about 12' tall and 8' wide after 10 years from a small size and has recently begun flowering. 

[Dartolution]

Im experimenting with them here in 8a. I planted 4 on the north side of the house last spring, and after a low of 10.2F and over 80 hours below 30 they survived and are pushing growth. 

I planted them about 4-6 inches deeper than the soil level in the pot, and they were mulched around the base during winter. No additional heat or protection. 

They didn't seem to show signs of burn until around the mid to low 20's. 

 

We will see if they have enough vigor this growing season to continue to be a contender in the garden. 

[Sandy Loam]

I used to grow these in Gainesville, FL and now I have a gigantic multi-trunked Streilizia Nicolai tree in Winter Haven (central Florida) that must be many years old.  The Gainesville climate is closer to Georgia and more akin to yours in Pensacola, JLM.  If my experience in Gainesville is useful, your White Bird of Paradise will do well for five years with minimal damage, but then suddenly a giant freeze will come along and defoliate it.  However, it will come back again, albeit several months later.   If it is damaged by cold in January, by May or June it should start pushing out new leaves again.   It just will never grow to be a huge tree like the one I now have in Winter Haven, FL.       

Personally, I don't believe in planting things that won't look good in winter.   My giant White Bird of Paradise in Winter Haven did not suffer any cold damage this past winter, and apparently this past Christmas was the coldest weather in several years.   Once you get down to Tampa or Orlando, you don't have to worry about cold damage to Streilizia Nicolai like you do up in Pensacola. 

It is a good thing that your soil is sandy in Pensacola.  One of my White Bird of Paradise rotted in Gainesville due to wet clay soil conditions.     

[Sandy Loam]

...... CONTINUED:  Unrelated -- Does anyone here know whether White Bird of Paradise will grow quickly in dark shade?  I have found that only very select plants will grow fast in the shade, like archontontophoenix, for example.         

[Merlyn]

  On 4/14/2023 at 4:21 AM, Sandy Loam said:

Personally, I don't believe in planting things that won't look good in winter.   My giant White Bird of Paradise in Winter Haven did not suffer any cold damage this past winter, and apparently this past Christmas was the coldest weather in several years.   Once you get down to Tampa or Orlando, you don't have to worry about cold damage to Streilizia Nicolai like you do up in Pensacola. 

It is a good thing that your soil is sandy in Pensacola.  One of my White Bird of Paradise rotted in Gainesville due to wet clay soil conditions.     

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My experience is similar, though any heavy frost will damage the top leaves.  In my location I get almost yearly defoliation of my backyard White birds.  Any sustained temps below 28-30F will damage the leaves, and anything in the 24-27F can defoliate them.  But 2 miles to my South there are big clumps in full sun that take almost no damage at all.  I've yet to have one die from cold temperatures.

I'm going to move one clump up to my "tropical bed" that gets drenched every AM.  I'll see if this hurts it in the winters...

[Rivera]

  On 4/14/2023 at 4:26 AM, Sandy Loam said:

...... CONTINUED:  Unrelated -- Does anyone here know whether White Bird of Paradise will grow quickly in dark shade?  I have found that only very select plants will grow fast in the shade, like archontontophoenix, for example.         

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I can't tell you growth rate, but I say give it a shot.

They love the sun in SF, but they're adaptable and are commonly used as houseplants in their sapling stage of life.

I do see many in shady situations here and they look fine, maybe better actually as a shady situation is likely offering them a bit of shelter from our strong coastal winds. 

My brother has some in Santa Cruz in a part shade situation and they are now tall, at least 15 ft.  They get more sun now that they're tall, but they were once in shadier understory. 

I would make sure they're never soggy in the shade though. 

[JLM]

Thanks for the information! I still need to figure out where to put it. Ive got 2 palms, a citrus, and this bird to plant and i dont know where to put em right now.