Strelitzia juncea

The striking and rare rush-leaved bird-of-paradise, Strelitzia juncea, is the perfect subtropical plant for succulent lovers. It has the classic orange and blue bird-like flowers but the leaves are cylindrical spears with no paddle-like blade. S. juncea is from South Africa. Grow it in a pot outdoors in full sun in the summer with good moisture and fertilizer. Bring it indoors in fall to spend the winter as a houseplant. It will bloom indoors from January to March. Note that young plants have a small leaf blade but, once mature, the leaves will be spear-like.

So cool! I love the foliage on this “Bird of Paradise.” It has cylindrical, reed-like leaves that grow to about 4’ tall. It is very architectural. The flowers are basically the same as the regular “Bird of Paradise,” which of course everyone knows makes great cut flowers. It is slow growing but very floriferous once it starts blooming. It is a long-lived plant. Native to South Africa, Strelitzia is drought resistant but does adapt well to moister gardens. It likes well-drained soil & give it some compost in Winter to feed it through the next year. It is wind resistant & would grow well in coastal gardens. It makes quite an impact planted in groups but is also very emphatic as a single specimen. Plant in full sun for best profuse flowers. Tolerates light frost.