Worth knowing: There are only five species of the Strelitzia which belongs to the banana family. The name Strelitzia reginae (Queen-Strelitzia) was given in honour of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in the 18th century. Its up to 20 centimeter long blossoms spring from a high leaf and reminding with its red, orange and yellow colour of a colourful bird. The oval-shaped, green-bluey leaves with leathery pattern resemble the leaves of a bananaplant. For their first blossoming you will need four to five years of patience, but after that, the Bird of Paradise will flourish in a suitable environment almost throughout the year. Natural Location: The natural habitat of the Strelitzia is South Africa, where all five species can be found. It is also widely spread on the Canary Islands and nowadays as well in many tropical and subtropical gardens. Cultivation: Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. Unfortunately, you have to wash off the nice coating of the seeds with soapy water and scald it with hot water afterwards, to stimulate and prepare the sprout. Keep it for another 12 hours in the water, which will slowly cool down to room temperature, so that the swelling further increases the germinability of the seed. Now you can press the seeds gently in the moist potting compost and put just a little compost earth on top. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it, every second or third day, for about 2 hours completely off. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm between 20°C and 25°C and keep the earth moist but not wet. The germination usually takes about three to six weeks. Place: During summer, Strelitzia plants like airy and sunny places. Between beginning of June until end of September, sheltered sunny spots outdoors are good as well. Keeping it in the shade will lower the blossoming. Care: In general, your Strelitzia needs strong watering, while its water needs depend on the number of blossoms and leaves, since this is where a lot of water evaporates. But avoid water logging in the saucer. Due to the heavily growing roots, you may choose a big pot filled with quality earth right from the beginning. Between April and October the plant also needs fertilizer for tub plants on a weekly basis. You should repot the Strelitzia with its fine roots carefully every three years. During the winter: In the winter time, the Strelitzia likes to be kept in a bright spot with a temperature between 10° to 20° Celsius. To prevent pest infestation due to the dry air caused by the heater, it is best to spray regularly with lime-deficient water. With beginning of spring you should familiarize the plant slowly with full sunlight to prevent any damage by UV-radiation. Picture credits: - © © Frode Inge helland - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 - © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Frode Inge helland - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 - © - -