Description

Picture six-to eight-foot banana-like leaves atop a palm tree trunk; add huge, uniquely beautiful flowers that bear an amazing resemblance to a bird’s head; and you’ll have the exotically named White Bird of Paradise, or Strelitzia nicolai. The leaves are gray-green and arranged like fans at the tops of the trunks. The flower clusters can be as big as 7 inches high by 18 inches long.

The White Bird of Paradise, also known as the Bird of Paradise Tree, makes a spectacular accent plant in zones 9 to 11. It does fine in sun to partial shade and can tolerate brief periods of frost with no damage. Although leaf damage may occur at temperatures below 28°F, the plant will recover.

This is a big plant, and it’s going to grow moderately to about 20 feet tall by at least 6 feet or more wide.  Place plants 4 or 5 feet apart and at least 4 feet away from buildings to give the stalks room to grow.

The size and bulk of Strelitzia nicolai make it a unique choice and a real showpiece for large-scale commercial landscapes, golf courses, parks, campuses and shopping malls. It also makes a striking container plant on the patio or pool deck.