Is it a toucan or a parrot? No, it's a shrub. More precisely, it's a strelitzia reginae . Bird of paradise grows to 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide and has bird-like flowers of orange and blue. I'm sure you've seen the blooms before in flower arrangements. They are quite striking and unusual in shape. So why am I mentioning it? I just happen to have one and I need to move it. My mom got on a kick about a year ago where she had to have a bird of paradise shrub in her yard - in fact she purchased two. One is supposed to bloom white and the other orange. At the time she bought hers I also got one that is supposed to have an orange flower and placed it in the front garden where it is lightly shaded. Well, my mom's haven't bloomed nor has mine. Why? It must be the shade and a lack of regular fertilizer.

According to my Southern Living Garden Book this shrub should be planted in full sun with some light afternoon shade in the summer. To encourage lush growth, frequent feedings are encouraged. Mine has gotten neither full sun nor frequent fertilizing and I know my mother's haven't either. My sister recently relocated one of my mom's plants and fertilized it with bone meal. While it is not yet flowering it has perked up and is producing lots of new leaves. Encouraged by her report, I plan to move mine this weekend. Although it gets some sun where it's located, it's just not enough to get that growth thing going on. So I have the perfect sunny locale all picked out and fertilizer at the ready. I'll let you know as soon as I see some new leaves. Happy Florida Gardening.