How To Trim A Giant Bird Of Paradise

The bird of paradise, so aptly named, doesn't require pruning in the way that some perennials do, but you can thin it to remove flower stalks after blooming. If the plant is getting too large for its location, it's time to actually remove some clumps from the base of the plant and transplant them elsewhere.

The bird of paradise (​Strelitzia reginae​) has no actual branches, so pruning is seldom necessary and does not incorporate traditional techniques for perennial shrubs. Rather, the plant produces stems that grow in a clump, and leaves grow off the stem to create a fan. A giant bird of paradise can reach up to 3 or 4 feet in height once it matures, and the flower stalks can grow as tall as 5 feet.

The stately and exotic bird of paradise flowers are what gardeners are after when they grow this heat-loving plant, which thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 to 12. After the flower appears and then fades, you can remove it to avoid the dead, drying stalks that unfortunately may act as a focal point in your garden.

First, clean your garden shears so you don't spread disease either to or from your bird of paradise. While you can use chlorine bleach or a disinfectant such as Lysol, bleach is corrosive and Lysol hasn't been proven effective against plant pathogens. Good alternatives are ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, which don't need to be wiped off and are immediately effective.

Clip off the flower stalk at the base an inch or so above the soil line. Take care to avoid damaging the clump itself or digging into the roots. New flower stalks will appear from the clump.

When your bird of paradise is getting taller than you want, you can control its size by cutting back the stems. In February, cut the stems to just a foot tall. This will encourage new stems to emerge, which will be thicker than the originals. This results in a thick, shorter plant with a lot of flowers. This might be exactly what you want in your garden but be aware that this kind of pruning does impact the look of the plant. It won't appear quite as natural-looking since bird of paradise is generally a tall plant, lending an architectural element to a landscape.

If you are taking such good care of your bird of paradise that it is taking over your yard or the garden bed in which you planted it, you can thin out the entire base of the plant.

Dig around the base of the plant with a sharp shovel, starting about 6 inches from the base and circling it. Your goal here is to protect and save as much of the root ball as possible. Some experts recommend that you separate these plants only after they have been blooming for at least three years.

Dig down and then rock the plant back and forth, assessing to what degree the roots are still tightly in the soil. If the plant resists, dig down further in that location until you can free all the roots. Lift the root ball, which is actually a large rhizome, and set it on the ground. Using a sharp, sterilized knife, separate it into sections, ensuring that each section has at least four root shoots. Transplant each section into your desired location.