Bird of Paradise plant outside - will it ever flower?
London,
United Kingdom 
I grew Bird of Paradise seeds, and re potted the resulting plants as it grew. Once it outgrew the house, I made shelter for it outside, which has now blown down in the wind. What is the best thing to do now, in the hope that it might one day flower? Its about 6-7 years old now.
I live in London. Over the winter it was wrapped in a protective fleecy fabric, and under it's plastic shelter.
5 May, 2016
Answers
Bird of Paradise is related to the banana, so I hope it rarely gets below 10C where you are. They have big tap roots, so they do best in the ground with a lot of sun and water. It took mine 11 years to flower from seed. I also found it will bloom whenever it feels like it.
5 May, 2016
they live in London .
I just think its too young and maybe too cold.
6 May, 2016
In a very hot summer outdoors, it might flower, but frankly, its not terribly likely. I couldn't even get mine to flower in the house... gave up after 7 years.
6 May, 2016
Mine, S. Nicolai and S. reginae, are both in flower, and have been for some time. When I had problems with the common one, it was moved to full sun and it flowers with no problem. Even though they are said to flower from seed in 7 years, mine took much longer.
6 May, 2016
But you're not in the UK, Wylie, are you... (envious sigh...)
6 May, 2016
Thank you for your comments. I guess I'll carry on with what I've been doing and see what happens.
6 May, 2016
I'm not in the UK, but they flower during the coldest part of the year, starting around January. So with winter protection, they should flower in the UK during the spring or fall.
6 May, 2016
I suspect its not the temperatures that are the major issue - its the dampness here if the plant is outdoors, many plants don't mind a bit of cold (Pelargoniums for instance) but what they really hate is cold and wet.
6 May, 2016
What part of the world are you in?
5 May, 2016