Bird of paradise winter care | 5 Easy tips for great bird of paradise

Bird of paradise plants will thrive over winter if they are watered deeply every 4 weeks, are deadheaded regularly and are given seaweed solution to support their root system. Bird of paradise will grow 3 or more flowers each over the winter.

This article will explore the top 5 tips I have used to grow large, healthy bird of paradise with lots of flowers and strong stems over winter.

My thriving bird of paradise plant over winter.

Top 5 tips for bird of paradise winter care

Here are my top 5 tips that will help your bird of paradise thrive over the winter months.

1. Remove old leaves

Take sharp secateurs and snip off old leaves close to the base of the plant at the end of fall before winter arrives. This will tidy up the plant and keep it looking green over the winter months. Bird of paradise will grow bright, beautiful flowers over winter so remove old leaves to make them look even better.

Bird of paradise will continually replace old leaves so the most important thing you can do to care for bird of paradise over winter is to remove old, damaged leaves. These are more likely to be attacked by pests or to grow mold when the weather is cold.

I trim off old, damaged leaves regularly during winter to keep the bird of paradise looking fantastic.

Clean new stems on my bird of paradise plant at the end of winter.

2. Deadhead bird of paradise

The next step to take care of bird of paradise over winter is to trim off the old flower heads. A bird of paradise plant can produce 3 or more flowers over winter if they are trimmed off regularly. Flowers will grow from the center of the stem and can be trimmed off close to the base once they start to turn brown.

This will keep your bird of paradise looking tidy and help it to produce new stems and new flowers. Bird of paradise will looking fantastic and continue to produce flowers.

Once these beautiful orange plants have dried out, trim them off at the base over winter.

3. Water bird of paradise regularly

Bird of paradise like tropical conditions which means they love regular water, time to dry out in between and humidity. Watering bird of paradise over winter is important particularly if you are getting low rainfall.

I live in a subtropical area which gets regular rainfall but I was still adding water every month to my bird of paradise over winter. This kept it growing bright flowers all through winter and it grew lots of new leaves over spring.

4. Give your bird of paradise some seaweed solution

Bird of paradise are low maintenance plants that need very little fertilizer but adding some liquid seaweed will help them over winter. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizer to encourage the bird of paradise to flower but seaweed solution will strengthen their root system and improve the soil.

Seaweed solution can be added to the watering can each month for potted bird of paradise or those grown in the ground. Both will benefit from the improvements in soil bacteria and feeding worms in the ground.

5. Trim down to the ground before winter

Transplanting bird of paradise in fall is a great idea and splitting and moving them to a new pot can be done every 3-5 years. I transplanted some pot bound bird of paradise plants in fall which are growing amazingly well now at the end of winter and in the start of spring.

These bird of paradise plants were trimmed back close to the ground with all old leaves trimmed off and now they are sprouting back in their new pots.

Bird of paradise can take a season before they return to their full size after being trimmed but it can be worth it to refresh the plant particularly if they have damaged leaves. While I recommend leaving healthy leaves don’t be afraid to trim them down to help them to grow back stronger.

New leaves growing out of bird of paradise stems cut down in fall.

Will bird of paradise survive winter?

Bird of paradise will survive mild winters but will struggle in winter temperatures below 24 degrees Fahrenheit. Bird of paradise generally slow their leaf growth over winter but put their energy into growing flowers.

Frosts can damage the leaf tips but you can leave these on over the cold weather to protect the other leaves. While I would remove any damaged leaves that are starting to bend over, leaves with damaged edges can still photosynthesize.

While I would remove leaves that are damaged before winter, you can keep leaves with edge damage on the bird of paradise in the depths of winter to protect the others.

How cold is too cold for bird of paradise?

Bird of paradise prefer winter temperatures above 24 degrees Fahrenheit. They can survive colder weather but will grow better in mild winters. If you suspect you will get heavy frosts you can move potted bird of paradise under cover or near a masonry wall.

I like to keep my bird of paradise close to brick walls which will protect them from the few frosts we get over winter. If you experience winters colder than 25 degrees, you can bring potted bird of paradise indoors near a bright window and they will still thrive.

New leaves growing from the base of the bird of paradise at the end of winter.

When should I water my bird of paradise in the winter?

Water bird of paradise every 4 weeks over winter to keep them growing flowers. While rainfall can be enough I have found the best results for a deep water every 4 weeks for my potted bird of paradise.

This gives me the opportunity to give them some seaweed solution and to make sure they are watered deeply in their large pots.  

Bird of paradise winter care | Summary

Bird of paradise winter care is as easy as regular water and some seaweed solution. Tidy up your bird of paradise at the end of fall to prepare it for winter. Trim off old stems and flower heads from the previous year and you will give it room for bright new flowers over winter.

Bird of paradise are a great plant for a bright, long lasting flower that will look great over winter. Bird of paradise are a striking plant that thrives in subtropical regions. Move bird of paradise under a protected cover if you get heavy frosts but otherwise bird of paradise will thrive with little attention.

Bird of paradise are a great feature plant for your garden in a pot or in the ground.

Happy growing.