What month does bird of paradise bloom?

Bird of paradise bloom during winter making them a fantastic feature in your yard in the cooler months. In the US, you can expect the plant to produce flower buds in September and blooms can appear from October to December. In Australia bird of paradise will bloom anywhere from June to late September.

Bird of paradise plants with beautiful orange and purple flowers that look like a crane are a fantastic feature in your winter garden. The flower buds are large and can take 2-4 weeks to fully open up. Once they do you will be rewarded with a gorgeous flower that will last for another 4 weeks.

These blooms can be picked and brought inside and they will last for weeks as a cut flower in water.

This article will explore when the blooms will appear on your plant and what you can do to get more flowers out of your bird of paradise over winter.

When blooms appear on the bird of paradise

Bird of paradise plants will bloom in winter.

USA

Bird of paradise will bud September and October – First blooms from October to December.

Australia

Buds from June-September – Flowers will open up around 4 weeks later, mine started in July and are still growing flower buds in Late September.

Tips to get your bird of paradise to flower

Here are the best ways to get your bird of paradise to flower as much as possible and to look great over winter.

1. Full sun

The most important factor to encouraging your bird of paradise plant to bloom well is to let it get as much winter sun as possible. A full sun position for an outdoor plant will encourage more flower growth and buds can appear throughout the winter months.

Indoor plants love a bright sunny aspect but keep them out of late afternoon sun as the leaves can get baked or burnt. Morning direct sun will work well or a bright window will encourage the plant to bloom.

2. Contained roots

Bird of paradise plants will actually bloom better if they are kept contained or even slightly restricted in a pot or tight space. Restricting the roots slightly will encourage them to send up flowers as they experience a bit of stress.

A larger, more established plant will naturally fill out the pot it is in by growing new stems. Don’t be in a hurry to transplant it in a new pot if you want it to be covered in flowers. Allowing a tight fit will encourage more blooms.

3. Minimal disturbance

Splitting a bird of paradise plant is a great idea to allow more leaf growth and space for it to fill out to a large new plant. Splitting the plant however will slow down the next bloom. You may need to wait 2-3 years before the next flowering once a plant has been split and moved.

4. Age – at least 2-5 years old

An older bird of paradise plant will be more likely to grow more blooms as it is more established. Each plant will take a different amount of time before it flowers. They can flower as soon as 2 years old or can take many years before the first blooms.

Following the rest of the steps will help it to bloom as soon as possible so you don’t have to wait.

5. Regular water

Regular water over the warmer months is important to encourage blooms over winter. Water the plant once the top layers of soil are dry, at least 2 inches down. While bird of paradise plants hate wet roots, they also need regular water to thrive and be ready to bloom over winter.

6. Neglect – in general

To encourage a bird of paradise plant to grow as many flowers as possible neglecting it (a little) is a good way. Keep it in the same pot, regular but not too much water and no fertilizer over winter will set it up to grow lots of flowers.

Do bird of paradise bloom all year round?

Bird of paradise will bloom during the Winter months and may extend into Spring. Bird of paradise plants have long lasting flowers which can stay on the plant for 4 weeks and still look great. Bird of paradise will stop blooming over the summer and add new leaf growth.

By the next winter, it will be ready to bloom again. Remove any old, dead flower heads in Spring to tidy up the plant and keep it looking great.

Why is my bird of paradise not blooming?

The main causes of a bird of paradise plant not blooming is not enough sun, too much fertilizer over winter or if it is the wrong time of year. Neglecting the plant slightly by keeping it in a tight pot will help to encourage it to bloom.

Young plants will take a few years to establish before they are ready to grow flowers.

Move a potted bird of paradise into a sunny spot over winter to encourage more flowers on your plant. Keep it regularly watered but don’t go overboard as too much water can cause root rot and damage the plant. You will notice blackening on the leaves if the plant is getting too much water.

What month does bird of paradise bloom? | Summary

Bird of paradise is a winter flowering plant which looks great in pots indoor or outdoors. Large beautifully flowering plants are difficult to find and bird of paradise are the easy care answer for tropical and subtropical climates.

I love my large established bird of paradise that I inherited when we bought our new house. Rather then split them into individual plants I chose to transfer them to new pots without splitting so they would recover quicker and flower sooner.

If you have the time to wait then you can split large plants into individual pieces but remember it could be 2 years before you see a flower again. Bird of paradise plants are worth the wait to see them flower as they are beautiful, can grow 10 or more blooms on one plant over the winter season.

Happy growing.