One of the world's five most famous flowers, its blooms and leaves are graceful and full of movement, offering both ornamental beauty and the power to attract wealth.
Among the many varieties of flowers, there are plenty of famous and precious blooms, but very few truly combine ornament, purification, wealth attraction and health benefits all in one. The flower introduced today covers all these aspects: its leaves stay evergreen all year round, its form is graceful, and when it blooms, flowers and foliage are equally splendid, with both leaves and blossoms of extremely high ornamental value. It is the bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae), one of the world's five most famous flowers.
The bird of paradise, also called the crane flower, is an evergreen large-leaved plant, very grand and lush. Besides being ornamental, according to traditional feng shui, large-leaved evergreen plants have the power to attract wealth, and it easily elevates the style of a room. The bird of paradise's flower shape is unusual and graceful, with striking colours, like a crane raising its head to gaze into the distance. It blooms in autumn and winter, with a flowering period of more than 100 days. Its ornamental value is extremely high; the cut flowers last about 20 days in water without preservative, making it the most famous premium cut flower.
The bird of paradise's flower is extremely delicate and gorgeous: the heart of the flower is sky blue, the petals surrounding it are a brilliant orange-yellow, and the bract supporting it at the base is blue-green edged with purple. The whole flower shape blooms amid rich, upright green leaves, much like a crane lifting its head to look upward. The leaves of the bird of paradise naturally have a layer of wax, keeping them emerald green and glossy all year round. It is the most ideal and also the most popular indoor foliage plant.
The bird of paradise has thick fleshy roots, so it can be potted in a mix of 5 parts leaf mould or peat soil, 3 parts garden soil, 1 part decomposed manure soil and 1 part coarse sand, blended evenly. If the potting mix has poor permeability, combined with overwatering, it very easily causes root rot. The bird of paradise has a well-developed root system and grows fairly quickly, so it needs repotting in good time. It is extremely adaptable and grows well in full sun (with shade needed in summer), partial sun or shady spots, needing only a watering every few days. The bird of paradise's orange petals and blue pistil form this magnificently coloured flower. The flower shape is acute-angled. A single bird of paradise is enough to make an entire bouquet look vividly alive.