bird of paradise

I live in the Charleston area and would like to acquire some of these grear plants. Would like some with a bit of maturity. Anyone know a source? Thanks. I have been gone from Dave"s for awhile. it is good to be back.

nancy- I found mine at Lowe's for a little under $20, about 5 ft. tall when I bought it.

Me, too. Got mine at Lowe's in Summerville last year. At least 4' tall and under $20. :)
Deb

Thanks for the reply's. I live in Summerville, but so far I have not seen any in our Lowe's. Maybe it is too early. I have talked with a nursery in Ga. has 3 year plants in 5 gallon pots for 16.95. Take care, Nancy

Nancy: I just checked and looks like I got mine in October last year. Can't recall when I first saw them there tho.
Deb

Deb, I found one today at Goose Creek Lowes, a white about 5 ft tall. Looks like there is several in the pot. Can they be divided? Nancyjean

Nancy: Great! You found one! Now - about the dividing - there you've got me! I haven't divided mine though I imagine it could be. (I just put it in a nice big pot.) Hopefully someone with more expertise will come in and tell us.
Deb

I suspect they can easily be divided Nancyjean---they're one tough plant. I had babied one for 5 years, moving it into and out of the greenhouse as temps dictated, but it never bloomed. So last spring when I moved it out of the greenhouse I decided I'd had it with the thing. Had to cut it it out of its 7 gallon pot and threw it in the woods. It was supposed to become compost. Shielded from sun from the east by a very tall and full Viburnum, and from the south and west by "the woods", I expected to till it in in a month (no water, no sun, no food---seems reasonable). But the dang thing shot up growth 8' tall last year. And I noticed it shooting new sprouts this year, from that very dried out 7 gal clump of soil sitting on top of real soil, in the shade. And we've had some freezes here. That is one tough cookie! Think it would probably LIKE for you to divide it! (I did take pity on it's valiant effort and threw it a handfull of fertilizer last week)...If it ever blooms, I'll have to scramble to "save" it, of course)!

Wow! The roots survived the winter? And above ground? That is amazing! I may not baby mine so much in future. May even put it in the ground. Hmmmm....
Deb

Stono, what is your zone? I am now wondering if I could plant mine at my mom's. She's at the beach.

I love my BOP, the leaves are huge. I actually started a thread in Tropicals on the White BOP awhile back. Some good info.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/703023/

Okay this is stonoriver's fault. I looked in lowes a couple of minutes ago and there they were for $15. I have a shady spot near my house that could use those. I bought one and I'm going to try and divide it. Cold hardy to 20 F or at least that's what the label says. It's going to be in with some EE's and a windmill palm. I'll get back to you in about a year on how this worked out. LOL.

This would be what I got for $15. About 2 ft by 2 ft. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/619/index.html

Doooh. Okay that makes 10 trees, 3 transplanted trees, 6 shrubs, 30 blubs, a bird of paradise and about 50 hardy hibiscus I'm growing from seed this spring. Wifey is going to get annoyed soon. She likes what it looks like about a year after these planting binges but not while I'm doing them. Forgot about the 5 diffrent kinds of Mg's I started from seed.

CoreHHI: I'll be "watching this space" to see how the story turns out! :) (I still haven't decided whether to risk it or not with mine.)
Deb

Yeah, Deb, the rootball survived the winter. Above ground, and with no care at all. Right now the sprouts are about 8" tall, but coming up from the bottom where there's the most contact with Mother Earth (and what little ground moisture there is---but warmth!). Damndest thing I ever did see! Makes me regret I didn't give it a "proper planting", but who knew??? If it survives the summer, I'll feel obligated to give it a "proper planting", complete with it's own drip line. If that doesn't kill it, nothing will, and the BOP will have to figure into future landscapes. Even if I can't convince it to flower. The foliage itself is neat.
Tropicanna---I'm technically in zone 8a according to the maps, but I've found the USDA maps to be misleading over the years. I don't plant anything here in Charleston that isn't at least a zone 9 plant. It's a waste of time and money. I've found the Southern Living Garden Guide to be the most accurate predictor of success with a plant here in the low country. If it doesn't say "Coastal Carolina", I won't plant it---and I've tested it to the limits! Garden Guide wins 9 out of 10 "tests". So now, I just drool over a plant that I can't grow here in the low country, because I know what will happen. It will crump.

Stono-that's good news to me, I'm pretty sure I grew up in 8a, and I can prob. keep the BOP there at my parent's place. My mom left a ctenanthe outside all winter (dang ol' mom, leaving my gift outside-lol), and I can't say it was alive, but the roots still looked alive. Ctenanthe is far from hardy.

And honestly, I'm in 7b, and I push the limits of my zone constantly. I've had a lot of weird successes with hardiness trials here, and I KNOW it's hotter than &@*% in SC!!!lol

I basically have used Plant delights as a reference for hardiness, and so far, it's working out quite well.

Tropicanna; I believe the zones are changing due to "global warming"---not the global warming people like Al Gore are using to whip people into a political frenzy, but just the inevitable course of Mother Nature. We're still coming out of the last Ice Age(just about half-way through it), and it's all happened before, and will again---with or without the alarmist politicians. The time I've spent in SC (20 years) is but a blip on the butt of Mother Nature, but I have to say I've noticed some subtle changes over the years. Barleria and Alamanda were stone cold annuals when I first planted them here 20 years ago. Now they reliably come back from the roots every year. Not soon enough for them to bloom reliably, but occassionally they'll bloom...many species of Duranta come back from their roots now that didn't just 20 short years ago. So I say it's open game on experimental planting, and fie on the Government's USDA zones... The times they are a changing...else how could that BOP have survived?

Well, I had thouught of trying it here, but not sure I want to waste it, but maybe on the coast it will work. I'm going to try some new gingers this year, here, and save some just in case.

That's exactly what I'd do, Tropicanna! The weather's been so "iffy" lately, you can't trust it. My Ginger is usually up and running by now---this year, they are only just starting to emerge. My Fig trees are usually covered with figs by now; this year I only see 2 figs on one of the trees---none on the other. We'll just have to experiment and adapt...no use fighting Mother Nature (unless you're a Politician)!

Stono, I had plenty of figs on my tree but they all got blown off in that big blow a week or so ago. Their leaves were badly dried out from the wind also.

House guests just left and I am wishing I was at Plantasia this morning instead. How'd you do???? Score any treasures????

Yes! How was Plantasia? I was out of town all week and was pooped. I set the clock to be up at the crack of dawn to get into Charleston on time, but alas, I hit the snooze a few times to many. :)
Deb

Plantasia was great from a plant person's perspective, but unmitigated hell from a volunteer's persperspective! I scored a neat new Hydrangea macrophylla 'color fantasy'---never seen leaves such a deep green on a Hydrangea---almost like a Holly or Sasanqua. The pink blooms should really pop against that dark green foliage! Also decided to (finally) try a Scadoxis multiflorus---that blood flower thing. Needed something to take your eye away from an Edgeworthia that I think bought the farm during the recent cold snap, but still seems to have live tissue, so I can't pitch it in the woods yet. Got some neat Carex to fill in the grass garden, so all in all, it was a good haul.
Saw a lot of new volunteers this year. I swear it's because we allow volunteers to scoff up 3 plants before Plantasia even opens. Couple of them even told me that.
The crowd was (as always) lining up at 7:30. They started a "countdown" at 5 minutes to 8, and when the rope dropped at 8 they poured in. It was like a shark feeding frenzy! These early birds seem to know the drill; a lot of them brought their own wagons! They also seem to know what plants they want, and where to find them. It's like a "Happening"! I was one of the docents under the tent, purportedly to answer specific plant questions. These early birds didn't have any questions---they went straight for their "gold"! (And get out of my way!). Things had pretty much settled down by 9, but we'd sold 2/3d's of our stock! Had to send out "emergency troops" to get more! That stock was all gone by 10:30, but the crowd had slimmed too (Thank God!). By 11, we had consolidated all 45 initial tables of plants down to 2 tables. All gone by 11:30! We stocked 30% more plants this year than last, and it still wasn't enough! Plant people are CRAZY! (I certainly qualify!).
BTW, I brought 2 pick-up loads of plants for "Members Favorites". Things I didn't think people would know about or be interested in (Pomegranate trees, Salvia Patens 'Blue Angel", Juanaloa Aurantica---strange stuff). All gone by 9:30! Blew me away! Who knew there were THAT many plant freaks out there??? Kind of comforting, actually!
All in all, it was a lot of fun. You ought to try to make it one year Deb---it's kind of a reaffirmation that you're not the only nut out there. We're ALL crazy!
P.S., Deb, I know I promised you a pic of that Daylilly "unmangled"---but Murphy lives at my house! They had a few of them at Plantasia and I really wanted the name of them, but by the time I got back there, they were all gone! It's obviously a common variety, and still in demand...

Stono: No problem! I love the daylily, whatever it is!
Sounds like you had quite a day~
Deb

hey yall im just joinin this thread, but i thought that id like to add that on Hilton Head Island, there is a Bird of Paradise growing unprotected in a parking lot at a strip mall. It was blooming in Feb and had, like, no damage. it was awesome and vey suprizing . i have a picture of it in the info page. Do any of yall know if it likes water? we just planted one at my house and it was near an irrigation pipe that could be broken, and it left the soil very wet. should i move it? Also, while i was transplanting it, a few of the massive roots broke because the rootball was not large enough for the pot it was in. i put some of them in a pot of soil . do yall think they will start to grow, or is it just a waste of time. thank yall in advance.
- diehrdsouthrnr

You're going to have to tell US, diehrd! I have no idea how to propogate BOP. Always considered them a pure tropical well out of my zip code, so I never paid them much attention. If they're rhizotomous, you could get new pups from the root cuttings. Certainly worth a try! If it works, I'll chop up that 7 gal. pot of roots I threw away and make a bunch of babies!

BOP update. The one I bought had two stalks coming up so I split down the middle for two plants. Planted them in a Southeast exposure next to the house, about 2 hours of direct sun light. Today I noticed their both putting up a new leaf. Nice. Think I have the spot right. Looks like I'm off to good start.

haha good deal. i hope it doesnt die! wish me luck!
-diehrdsouthrnr

CoreHHI,
where did you get yours? i got mine @ Lowes Friday.

Got mine at Lowes on the left side when you come in from out side. They have some odd things pop up in their " tropical foliage " section. I always take a look just to see what may be there. Who ever is doing the buying for Lowes now seems to be doing a good job, the plants and trees are actually right for our area. I took a look at their fruit trees and they were all the right chill hours etc. Still hard to find exotic stuff but the selection is getting much better.

BTW I would consider Bluffton 8b not 9a but it's close either way. You safe with anything cold hardy to 20 and get away with stuff that only handles the high 20's. I do remember seeing a night were it was 19 back 6 or 7 years ago. Other than that I really don't see many nights under 27-28.

Our Lowe's had both peonies and lilacs the other day. What are they thinking????

There are so many microclimates in the Lowcountry. I am clearly in 9a but some of my neighbors just blocks away get frost and are in more of an 8b location.

My mom is in 8a-might be 8b, haven't checked. Amazingly, she has a lilac that finally bloomed this year!

i said bluffton was a 9a location because there are many places that are warmer microclimates. on hilton head it seems everywhere is a 9 or higher, including the microclimates, and areas that are totally exposed. it is very debatable, but i just took the "average" of all the different places. i guess it is just the median of the varying climates of the area. i think that it is just how close you are to the beach or marsh that defines what zone youre in. it could also be affected by protected wetlands areas and swamps in woods that can affect your temps.

CoreHHI, where are you in B-town? im in the front of island west (the very first street on the left) my yard backs up to swampy wetlands in the woods and im like less than a 1/2 mile, probably more like a 1/4 of a mile from the marsh out towards Okatie, so i consider myself 9a.
-diehrdsouthrnr

If anyone's already said so, I apologize... but have ANY of you successfully gotten a bird (either Orange or White) to bloom in SC? I have been trying for years to get a 12 year old plant to bloom. I feed it heavily each year and it gets plenty of light... nothing. I received the plant from my grandmother, who planted it from seeds over a decade ago. I have no idea how much "love" she gave it, but I think it's soil may be the problem. I'd have to completely repot it (with new dirt) to ensure it was properly planted.

I have a new baby plant I picked up in HI a few years ago, and I'm hoping it'll be a promising prospect here in a few years. It's had some funky leaf growth the last year now, but I think it's finally getting itself straightened out. I had leaves trying to come out at the same time, very strange. It's outside right now though and seems to be enjoying this warm weather. I'll start feeding it again this weekend.

Both of the above I mentioned are the Orange Birds. I also have three White Birds, but I highly doubt I'll ever see them bloom, especially since I keep them indoors to protect their beautiful foliage.

there are some blooming here, but i have not grown them. one is an orange one. you can see it on the plantfiles page for them in the images. a white one @ the Crowne Plaza is getting ready to bloom, but its like 10' tall, so maybe yours will have to mature before they bloom. maybe they need a larger pot or more humid and "tropical" feeling weather. both of the ones i've mentioned are planted outdoors inside a mile from the ocean, giving them warm and humid air

a white one @ the Crowne Plaza is getting ready to bloom, but its like 10' tall,

Where is that at Crown Plaza? I love their fig tree on the back of the hotel.

You ever look around the old Hyatt hotel? There are a lot of interesting plants and trees.

I live in Hertiage lakes, first right after lowes. That's why I drop in there a lot. As far as my lot I have many 40 ft. pines and back up to a 13 acre lagoon or at least that's how big they said it was. I still say 9a is pushing it. LOL.. I'm working on hardy citrus this year. Next year I'll have a report of how that works out. I have about an acre of land and I have finally running out of room to plant large things. Still don't like the pine trees (messy and lots of work) but their big so until I get some other big things grown for shade the pines are here to stay. I do have a couple of nice pine trees that will die of old age but the rest have a limited number of days left in them.

its on the side next to the shipyard parking lot. facing the beach, it would be the left side. but yes im a zone-stretcher. ill bend the rules as much as i can and find every exeption to disprove something like the zone map. I too hate pine trees. they seem cheap to me if there are too many and they are messy and prickly. i have 6 in my yard and i hate em! hate em, hate em, hate em! im tryin to get my dad to get rid of them but he likes having our yard half shade and half sun. W/E! i havent been to the hyatt because its too out of the way for either of my parents to want to take me. isnt it on the island? i havent noticed a fig tree anywhere at the Crown plaza. they have some big Dracaena there though is like 6' tall. there is also a lot of Cordyline fruticosa there too. i "accidentally" broke off a piece and took it home. }:-) hahaha. have you been to lighthouse tennis clubs in Seapines? at the pool there is a huge ficus vine that has taken over the live oak or w/e it was growing on and it looks as if the ficus is the tree itself. there are figs all over the ground, making quite a mess. but over all the plant is nice wuth its large shiny green leaves. u should go see it. at the crown palza there is a huge C.I. date palm there is a pic of it on the Phoenix Canariensis page

This message was edited May 1, 2007 11:36 PM

This beauty is outside a building in my neighborhood. The plant has been there for years but I have never noticed it blooming before. It is quite large, probably 10'.

How on earth does it survive the winter? How cold do you get there?

No very cold at all. Most zone 9 plants do OK here. I know it sounds strange but we have not had a freeze in over two years now. There are many areas in eastern FL that have had much colder weather than we have had here.

The biggest problem we have is the sudden changes like we had recently. 80's during the day dropping to 38 or 40 at night. That caused all my hibiscus and plumeria to drop all their leaves. When it does drop to the mid 30's it is usually only for an hour or so.

Key word here is *microclimate*.

same here. the lowcountry is full of 'em. more than you can shake a stick at

Now I'm jealous, LOL. I didn't know you could do that in SC.

Definitely a microclimate alright ;)

aredesia, are you zone 8a or 8b? I'm still getting dumb ideas I can maybe push this thing outside. total zone denial. lol

Surprisingly, with wather that has killed hostas, hydrangeas, and other hardies, I dug a duranta I planted last year (cause it had to be dead), and saw some growth near the roots. Stuck it in a barrel of water, shaking my head, and forgot about it. It's been there about 2 weeks now, and the growth is still there! That's one tough plant!

Also Lemon Verbena came back, 2nd year in a row :)