Potsize (diameter): 17 cm, Approx Height: 55 cm.
Strelitzia Nicolai, also known as Giant Bird of Paradise or White Bird of Paradise.
Wow. What a showstopper. You may notice that it’s large leaves resemble the Banana Plant, surprisingly the two are from completely different plant families - but both bring a wonderful tropical appearance to your home.
Named because of the massive & exotic flowers that bloom on very mature plants in the wild (it’s rare for plants to flower indoors). This tall, sculptural plant can grow to over 6 foot given the right conditions. Repot in the spring when the roots start are bursting from it's container, do this sparingly as they actually prefer their roots to be snug.
If you fancy, you can grow your Bird of Paradise outside on a balcony or in a sheltered garden during the summer months and then bring it back inside during the winter, just make sure you fetch it in when the temperature begins to drop.
When the Bird of Paradise reaches this level of maturity the edges of its leaves will begin to split, this is caused by the plants natural evolution and is a solution for wind being able to pass throw the large paddle leaves rather than turning them in to sails. Some of our larger plants will have started to split already.
Due to the rigid nature of the Strelitzia Nicolai's leaves, they are prone to some transit damage. In some cases we will trim back damaged tips on lower leaves rather than remove an entire valuable leaf from the plant
Care:
Light: Will tolerate some direct light but thrive in bright indirect light.
Water: Water once the top third of soil has dried out, do not let it sit in water.
Food: Feed monthly during the growing season but not during the winter.
Humidity: Appreciative of high humidity, we recommend using a humidifier or regularly misting the leaves.