Bird Of Paradise FIRST Bloom !!

8 yrs? wow. that is fantastic looking

Irish, back in Sept. you crossed your fingers for it to bloom, so thanks a lot !!!

AWESOME...!!! It's bee-uuu-ti-ful ! I'd say it was well worth the wait Diohio. Congratulations on a job well done. I personally think it was just your tender love and care over the years is the reason it bloomed !

Diohio, if the ginger you are talking about is the same as my yellow and green variegated type. I hate to tell you that it will never bloom if grown in a pot, or at least that's what I've read on the internet,when checking on mine. If you have a greenhouse with a dirt floor, you could plant it in there and leave it
undisturbed, and it should bloom for you in a season or two. Hopefully it's not the same type as mine.....I don't keep my parent's greenhouse going thru the winter months,(too expensive), so I just grow mine in a pot and settle for the nice tropical looking foliage.

Congratulations, Di! Aren't they the most beautiful, strange looking wonderful things? I'm just pea green with envy...lol. You can make a home made bloom booster with eggshells... everytime you crack an egg put the shells in a large pickle jar and top it up with water...make sure the lid fits tightly 'cause it smells to high heaven...but your bloomers (plants) will love it!

Flcrazy !! It's so good to be talking to my GOY friends again ! Thanks so much..........Lord knows I pampered this plant to high heavens, and yes, it was well worth the wait ! I wonder if it will bloom every year now? And I wonder if it will get more mature blooms as it gets older. I've seen plants with two blooms on one stalk and much more orange and purple......but they were in Florida or Calif, growing in the ground I think. I just wonder how far a potted plant will go?

And thanks for the info on the Ginger. Yes, I think mine is exactly the same one as yours. I'm going to work my butt off trying to prove the internet wrong. LOL ! Mine is in a 30 gallon tub. I don't have a greenhouse for the same reason you don't keep yours going over winter. That's mainly what I wanted one for........for a place to keep 'the jungle' over the winter.

And thanks Lori ! I sure will try the eggshells-in-a-jar.....i wish I would have known about it 2 weeks ago with all of the cookies I've made since then ! My plants should be SO happy between the Bloom Booster, eggshell tea and fish poop ! LOL !!

A beauty!!

LOL! Ain't nature a treat! it's all out there for us if we can stand the smell!!

Very beautiful....these blooms are so awesome...

Everything comes to them that wait. Looks lovely

Just fab. well done!

Oh no....mine is only 4 years old and I thought I was hard done by.

Beautiful, worth the wait ....

Fab. photo. Well done on this first bloom. :o)

I've been throwing crushed egg-shells on the soil to deter the slugs.
Is this thread telling me that the egg shells themselves are beneficial to the soil ? I guess I'm asking Lori, but anyone who knows, please answer. Thanks. :o)

Thanks everyone ! Ams, I think I remember reading on the intertnet that people have gotten BOP to bloom from seed in just 4-5 years so don't give up hope. I may have just caused the 8 year wait myself.......like by not fertalizing enough in the past. Also, I now know BOP love to be rootbound and I repotted mine a few years after I got it, so that could have set it back too.
Terratoonie, I would think the eggshells would help the soil but that's a guess.

The eggshell tea has some of the albumen from the raw egg in it!...hence it has vitamins, protein, and phosphorus...and it smells like it! Egg shells on the soil to deter slugs is along the same lines as diatomaceous earth..it is sharp and cuts the slugs bellies as they crawl over it...same idea as using pea gravel to deter slugs as they like smooth surfaces...Egg shells ground up would have calcium I would suppose... and could be of benefit to the soil in moderate amounts... When I have exhausted the egg tea (usually only lasts two or three fill ups with water before it's necessary to add more egg shells) the spent shells are thrown onto the compost, allowed to dry and mashed to a powder before being covered with a green layer. I want to be clear that there is no guarantee on this...it is something which has worked for me...and I'm pretty sure it will work for anyone...lots of folk will not because of the smell...the smell disappears when in contact with the soil.

This is wonderful Di, I'm so glad that it bloomed for you. I'm betting it does each year now that you've got it started. I'm not the best fertilizer myself, I'm just thinking I need to add this treat to get some of my waiting over....lol. Congratulations!

It's lovely. So pristine. Ours growing outside gets very messy looking. It's good to catch it as soon as it opens. You're very patient Dioho :)

My fingers are crossed that you get your ginger to bloom too DI. There's not much more satisfing and excilerating than doing something that can rarely ever be acomplished, but I'm like you, never say never girlfriend !

I've read that it should bloom every year now Greenthumb. Thanks.

And Tasteyg, do you grow these in your yard?

Thanks so much Flcrazy ! I'm gonna need all the fingers and toes crossed that I can get I'm afraid ! But yes, if I manage it, boy how excilerating that will be !

Does anyone have any advice on getting Lobster Claw to bloom? Heliconia angusta. I've waited 8 years for that one to bloom too.