From mid-spring until late fall, this beautiful shrub blooms continuously with these colorful flowers. I have loved them for years and I was very disappointed that they don’t grow well in California coastal areas. I brought one home from a nursery in Indio, CA, a few years ago but it didn’t take to our coastal weather. Now, that we’re going to live in Arizona, I’m looking forward to having them in our desert garden there.
The shrub is called “Red Bird of Paradise” or “The Pride of Barbados.” They are native to Central America, parts of South America and the West Indies. Desert Tropicals, a Phoenix based garden information website, has information on cultivation and care of these pretty shrubs. They recommend planting them six feet apart and after summer in November or so, to cut them almost to the ground to keep them compact. In mid-spring, they will grow quite rapidly to between six and fifteen feet high.
I took the picture above when we were in Arizona last week. Click on the image to enlarge.
