I have this absolutely huge Giant Bird Of Paradise ( Strelitzia nicolai) growing at my work. It is stunning and reaches a height of around 5 metres. It is also very wide and spreading.
People are always mistaking it for a Banana tree. In fact, this is what I also thought it was at first, until I saw the incredible flowers it produces.
At the moment it has many flowers all over it, nestled amongst it’s big sheltering leaves. I am sorry I did not take a photo so you could get an idea of the size of these flowers. They are quite large actually and are very dramatic. The plant gets it’s name by the fact that the flower does indeed look like a bird.
The plant is native to South Africa and there is an orange flowering species too ( Strelitzia reginae) although it is a lot smaller in it’s growth habit.
This is a fantastic, hardy plant to use if you are trying to create a tropical style of garden but suffer with drought and tough conditions.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish my beautiful friend Kerri a very happy 40th birthday! She has spent 2 sun soaked weeks camping on the beach near where we live. We celebrated the day with pink champagne, fresh oysters and delicious prawns. Oh and Chocolate Mud Cake.
Tags: , Giant Bird Of Paradise, Strelitzia nicolai