This year, I decided to join Cathy’s meme ‘In a Vase on Monday’. Since I don’t grow many flowers in my garden, I will probably need to look beyond its boundaries for inspiration. This week, I offer a simple arrangement of the majestic Bird of Paradise, aka Strelitzia Reginae. I tried to make the shadow forms part of the arrangement.
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Piglet in Portugal 
Hi Carole! They grow really well here and while I like the flowers, I am not so fond of the strappy leaves. Even so, a large white variety sounds wonderful.
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I have always had a soft spot for strelitzia, Carole, probably because I grew one from seed in the 1970s. It took a few years to flower, but sadly I moved the plant outside for the summer and it frazzled, or dehydrated or something – perhaps I should try again… 😉I agree yours looks great in the bottle – better even, like amaryllis/hippeastrum with their ungainly long stems and floppy leaves
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Hi Cathy, what a shame to lose the plant after all your hard work! I have just discovered, after years of growing this plant, the flowers last longer indoors than out!
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Commenting on yours has made me determined to try again though! Curious to know that they last better in than out, and when cut. Is it purely a temperature thing?
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Probably they get a battering from the weather this time of the year. Rain, wind and high humidity. That’s the only thing I can think of.
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Good to see you back Carole!
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Thanks, Lana. Good to be back and catching up with my blogging buddies 🙂
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Beautiful in a vase or out in your garden!
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It is. But at least in the vase it seems to last longer and I can enjoy it eery time I walk in the kitchen. 🙂
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That’s such a coincidence, Carole. My cousin is visiting us here in south Texas. A couple of days ago, we visited the large grounds of a Basilica near here. I wanted to show her the many Bird of Paradise plants there because that’s something that wouldn’t survive as an outdoor plant where we live in Canada. Just this morning, I was reviewing my photos of that visit for a future post and was planning to use the Bird of Paradise as my feature photo.
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Hi Terry, They have the most amazing flowers. I hope the big white variety flowers this year.
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Its a beautiful and majestic flower! Don´t have it in my garden, yet. But will eventually plant one or two and try.
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I love them. I don’t usually cut them and bring them inside. I don’t know why because where they are planted I cant even see them from the house to enjoy. When you buy one, make sure it is in flower. A friend bought one-just leaves and for some reason it took years to flower.
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