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Hawaiian Flower
Hawaii has a lot to offer in flowers, but maybe your favorite Hawaiian flower is the Bird of
Paradise. You will find this flower is a marvelous combination of color and shape. An indication
of a healthy flower, such as this, is the amount of blooms you will see among its leaves. You will
never see so much beauty in one plant, as you will in the Bird of Paradise. It needs a lot of
sunlight to keep it happy, but can spend a small portion of the day in shade. You have to take
measures to protect it from temperatures of 30 degrees F or less and it should be fertilized with a
good plant food. You can also give it blood or bone meal in the early spring or late summer.
Pruning the Bird of Paradise is not very difficult and it responds well to pruning. As with any
plant you will need to use clean, sharp pruning shears and be careful not to cut back too much of
the plant. When it comes to watering your Bird of Paradise plant, just don't get too enthusiastic
with the water. That is not to say they dislike a good watering, but they don't need it often so as
the roots are continually wet. This plant likes its roots to dry out a bit between watering.
Now be prepared if you are planting the Bird of Paradise. This plant can grow up to five feet in
height with a two to three foot spread. Take this into consideration and give it lots of room to
mature. You will find that this plant is trunkless and has fleshy roots, but is slow to grow. You
will find that the leaves are attached to a long stalk that will sometimes grow to two feet in
length. It was classed in the banana family, but now has a class of it's own. The reason it has its
name is because it resembles the bird's beak with the head and plumage. This is one plant that
will be worth the effort of planting. Uou will be paid back tenfold in the rewards you will get
from just admiring it.
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