Bird of Paradise Gone To Paradise

We planted several bird of paradise palms five years ago. They were in a one gallon pot and were two feet high. We planted them as a privacy barrier around our pool. They not only grew but multiplied. A fast growing , beautiful palm which flowers all year and every new branch brings a new flower.

These flowers are large and colourful and last for about a month. When the flower goes to seed it provides food for the birds. A regular visitor is the yellow bellied sap sucker who comes, sings, eats and drinks and leaves with a full gullet. Other birds come as well to eat the profusion of insects drawn to the palm because of it's abundance of sugary sap.

These two palms have to be taken down before the hurricane season as they are next to the neighbours screened in pool cover. They have grown to 24 feet in five years and will not be missed because there are nine baby palms ready to spring forth. I hate cutting good, solid palms but it is a necessity. Their life span usually is about ten years before they are in danger of being blown down.

Theresa and I will complete the task and be a little sad to lose such a good flowering tree and will take care of the offspring for another cycle. I guess it would be fair to say that the Bird Of Paradise has gone to Paradise.