I bought a birds of paradise a couple of years ago and it is really out of control. I’m not a ‘plant person’ so I’m not sure if it’s thriving or if it needs help! It’s never flowered. I ordered a larger pot for it that’s arriving this week. Should I prune it back? We have trouble finding a spot for it because it’s so massive. Please see picture for reference. What do I do?! Thanks for any advice!
Give it to somebody who has room for a tall plant or toss it, start over with something that won't grow as large.
Hi, welcome to the forum. You do have a Strelitzia nicolai, known as a giant or white bird of paradise. Like Ron said it wants to be a massive tree, but I think you could get at least a couple/few good years out of it still in that room. One help would be to move it as close as possible to centered on the window. Right up as close to the glass as you can get it. Right now the petioles are too long from reaching for the light, so if you give it a lot more light then the new leaves can be fatter and shorter, buying you more time before it scrunches up to the ceiling. Also, get it off the stand and down onto the floor asap. Indoors it gets less light when higher, which then makes it reach more and grow longer petioles, which you don't want.
