Long awaited first flight

[Cactuspic]

About 5 years ago I got a 3 inch starter bird of paradise plant. While the plant is still a bit scraggly and will need a few years to fill out, it took its first flight and flowered. I wasn't too excited.(right.:D) A perfect way to end the old and start the new.

For everyone who read this, Happy New Year, hope you enjoy, and thanks for viewing.

Irwin

[Naturalist]

Very nice photo, and plant cactuspic.

Happy New Year to you as well. :)

[Bill Pham]

very nice. i love bird of paradise. and congrats on the long wait.

Bill

[LordV]

LOvely shot Irwin- and admire your horticultural skill. I've tried several times to grow these and get them to flower without success. I've ended up with plants banned from the house because they were blocking out all the light but they never flowered.
Brian V.

[GaryT]

Lovely shot Irwin. Looks like it was worth the wait.

[Cactuspic]

Thanks Naturalist, Bill, Brian and Gary for your kind comments.

The flower stalk caught me completely by surprise. I didn't notice the bloom stalk until after I brought the plant inside to overwinter. Given the number of leaves and the size of the plant, I thought it was several years from flowering.

Brian, I think that the longer growing season in Dallas gave me a bit of an advantage in getting it to flower.

Irwin

[racketman]

nearly cheated and bought one in flower for christmas but guessed it would require too much skill to keep going, congrats.

[Cactuspic]

Thanks Toby. I suspect it has more to do with the lenth of the growing season and the intensityof the light, rather than my skill. From my understanding, these plants like sun.

Irwin

[Photogirl2007]

What a great pic Irwin. You do know that this is our national flower don't you?? I wonder where you are getting all these South African plants from? Or am I being too inquisitive? LOL!!
When planted in the garden, they usually take seven years to bloom and do like full sunlight and no frost. They grow in more sub-tropical areas.

[Cactuspic]

What a great pic Irwin. You do know that this is our national flower don't you?? I wonder where you are getting all these South African plants from? Or am I being too inquisitive? LOL!!
When planted in the garden, they usually take seven years to bloom and do like full sunlight and no frost. They grow in more sub-tropical areas.

Thank you Joan. I didn't know that Birds were native to SA. I fell in love with the birds, heliconias, and gingers when Robin & I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Hawaii. Redoing the math I realize it's been only 4 1/2 years since I brought back that little plant cushioned in my luggage by my dirty socks. If it survived that, I knew it had a strong will to live and would thrive when planted.:rolleyes:

As you know, I grow cacti and succulents in my greenhouse. What I rarely tell is that I am President of the Dallas Cactus and Succulent society (the ceremonial honor that goes to those willing to make coffee for the meetings). SA/Namibia are has he highest concentration of succulents in the world, including a number of plant familes that fascinate me. Crassulas, haworthias, mesembs (such as lithops) many aloes and euphorbias are native there. One of my goals is do take an extended photographic visit.

See what you get when you are TOO inquisitive...answers that are TOO long. Best wishes for the New Year.

I have very limited internet abilities these days (have to hijack my son's computer.) My @#$!! comuper is back in the shop. Certain repetitious reduncies get old after a while.

Irwin

[Photogirl2007]

:lol: Not too long and answer for me Irwin!! Many parts of SA is tropical to subtropical. I do not think there is a garden in any of the warmer areas which do not have a plant growing in their garden. In your sock!! LOL!! As you say, if it can survive that, it can survive anything. :lol:
Please be sure to come and celebrate your next anniversary here. I am not sure how much Robin will enjoy it though, but I know you will go back with loads and loads of images.
By the way, do you make good coffee?:)