All I can tell you is that once established they will grow like weeds with high heat and no water. Personally, I hate those plants. 4 of them were already planted in my house, and they grew way too big, and are extremely difficult to eradicate, with very spiny branches and very deep roots that are impossible to remove in rocky soil. The cut off branches continued to sprout even after multiple round-up applications. I can't believe they actually sell those things in the stores!

Hi lornasgrandma2000,

I'm glad you enjoyed Tucson. It is easy to take for granted the mountains we see everyday. Thanks for making me "stop & smell the roses"! I have been so looking forward to our move to Fresno, CA that I've forgotten to appreciate what I do have to enjoy in the meantime. I sure hope you were able to catch one of our stunning sunsets.

As for your Mexican Bird of Paradise. First off, all Bird of Paradise are poisonous so you will want to keep small children and pets away from this plant.

Does your plant have yellow or red flowers? If they are red then you have a Red Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima). If they are yellow then you have a Mexican Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana). The common names for these plants are commonly mixed up. This info may help you in your quest for care info. I am assuming you actually have a Red BOP because these are the most common. Either way, the care for these two plants is virtually identical to my knowledge.

It will prefer a well drained soil so you will want to use a cactus & palm tree soil or add perlite to your soil. The best way to water this plant is with infrequent deep waterings. They do not tolerate frost well and when kept outside will need to be cut back after the winter. This plant can bloom year round if kept at the right temp! They require a lot of sunlight, so if it looks like it isn't doing well try giving it more light. They tolerate our full sun which means they can take your sun.

They are a very forgiving plant and will tolerate alot of substandard care, including being potted. This shrub can also be trained in to a Patio Tree. Or so I have heard, yet to see!

Good Luck!!

Hi All,
I must have the Red Bird of Paradise. As the wilting flower it had on it had a red look to it. I have it right now in a south window.
I grow hoya and violets generally so this bush is a new experience for me. But what I was going to say is that I've got all the hoya outside right now but in a month or so I'll have to bring them in to the plant room. I have lights on in there for 12 hours a day for the violets. Is that going to be enough for the bop???? I can leave it where it is but if there's a chance that it could hurt my grandkids then I'd prefer to move it since they can easily access it where it is now.
I repotted it into a mircle grow soil but I'll run and get catus soil for it after work tomorrow. I sure want it to have the soil it requires.
Pheitmeyer, I understand what your saying about hating these plants. There are some native plants around here I wish I could kill off for good too!!!! But I think we're use to what we have growing in the different regions we live in and when we venture out of those regions we see and fall in love with the native growth of that region.
At least that's what happened to me. I just dearly fell in love with this plant.
I do intend to cart it outside after the last frost of each spring around here. All I hope is that I treat it right during the winters. They can be long and harsh in Illinois.
I'm planning my next trip to Tucson. This time I'm taking a train!!! I really didn't enjoy the plane ride this time. Hated it infact.
But I really want to return and see more sites that I didn't have time for. I'd really like to see the Grand Canyon but my dad says he won't take me. He's been there so often that it's a bore to him!!! One of those region things I guess!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Hi Lazygardens,

I should have clarified, Mexican BOP is most certainly poisonous to pets. I just assumed it was a toxic plant in general. The ASPCA Animal Posion Contral Center (as well as many other organizations) has a list of plants toxic to animals and all BOP plants always make the list.

What is edible for humans may not be for dogs, like chocolate. So I would still be careful if you have any pets that may munch. It is truly a balancing act in my yard due to my dogs and my tortoise. It seems with most plants if it is safe for one it's not for the other. I had always assumed that because the flower of the Hibiscus was on every edible plant list for my tortoise that it would be safe for my dogs. Not true, the flowers are toxic to dogs. On another interesting note, most lilys are known to be toxic to cats but not dogs!

While my dogs do not tend to munch on my plants it is certainly not worth the risk considering that my 100 pound Doberman could survive eating a giant chocolate candy bar yet my 9 pound Minature Pinscher would have much more serious problems, possibly even death if not treated.

Hope this helps, I didn't me to provide wrong information and I apologize. I will be sure to speak more carefully in the future - thanks for correcting me! :-)

If you want to control the size of the BOP, plant the whole pot in the ground and treat it like you would any potted plant. Increase the container size for a larger specimen or keep it small. If your in a cold climate this will allow you to move the plant indoors with minimum of muss and fuss.They are not fussy about soil. They will grow in anything as long as it is not too wet and can dry out between waterings. I have then growing in heavy clay in my yard and potting soil on my patio. Full sun all day, the hotter the better.

I have mexican BOP seeds. when is the best time to plant
them? I live in phoenix

Any of you here in Phx have yellow bottom leaves on your BOP? Is this a sign of overwatering? Underwatering? Mine look so ugly and leggy, too. Should I cut back sharply or wait until end of winter? I don't think they've been pruned in quite a while.

Thanks for any help!
Amy

Wait until the first sharp frost.

They like DEEP, infrequent watering. Soak them really good, then wait a month or more before watering again.

What's frost? :)

Thanks Lazygardens. Guess I should take them off the drip system, then, huh?

Hi all!
Just to clarify - there are THREE species of Caesalpinia that are commonly referred to as "Bird of Paradise" - all of them even sometimes referred to as "Mexican Bird of Paradise." They are as follows:

1) Caesalpinia pulcherima - "Red Bird of Paradise"; HOWEVER, keep in mind that there is a variety of this species with ALL yellow flowers ("Phoenix"), so color of flowers is not always a good indicator of species, particularly in the valley.

2) Caesalpinia mexicana - the "true" "Mexican Bird of Paradise". Smaller flowers, always yellow. Leaflets larger and rounder than in pulcherima. Flower spike narrower and 'spikier'.

3) Caesalpinia gillesi - "Yellow Bird of Paradise". Larger flowers with LONG red stamens that are far exerted. Leaflets small like in pulcherima.

Of course, there are a couple of other species of Caesalpinia that you will see in the Phoenix area from time to time - Caesalpinia cacalaco (Cascalote) & Caesalpinia platyloba (Palo Colorado).

The Cascalote is nice in that it is a winter bloomer here in the valley, and the Palo Colorado grows into a nice sized tree. Both have similar, spikey yellow blooms like C. mexicana.

Sometimes also seen is Caesalpinia pumilla (Coppery Caesalpinia).

Any of these species are really nice!
Cheers,
Tristan