The more shade they get in the afternoon the better they look. If the filtered sun is heavy should be ok. otherwise...maybe

Finally posting pics of the bird of paradise, et al...
First picture was the 1 st week of November just after planting. The second picture was taken the middle of May. Survived the winter ok this past winter at least.

This past May (2012)

Those look really nice, I hope they perform well for you in the coming years.

Doc, are those Dianella between the birds?

Hi azant. Yes they are Dianella. They also are doing well, and fit the area below the window by supposedly not getting too tall. On the sunnier left side of the planter we planted a Hibiscus Erin Rachel. We are hoping that it being a south facing planter, the microclimate will help the b.o.p survive the winters. The mesquite tree is starting to create some nice partial shade for them. The chilian mesquite has grown very rapid since being planted only 3 years ago.

Planter still looking good 1 year later. Had lots of blooms over the past 6 months. Hopefully no record cold snaps for a few winters. Would like to keep the birds alive. (The planter is undergoing stucco and soon to be painted.)

Wow, they look really, really good! I would have thought they were burn a bit in a southern exposure (most beautiful happy clumps I see are on the east side of buildings), but they look great! Thanks so much for the update! Looking great! Happy gardening!

Hi Grant.
The mesquite is creating some nice filtered sunlight, which the BOPs like. The hibiscus on the left (west) side gets a little more afternoon sun. They are heavy feeders, so I put a timed release acid fertilizer on them every month March through September. As they become more and more root bound they will produce more blooms. I was actually surprised at how many blooms I got during the first year. They are still blooming well now.

Wow, I have some birds of paradise in a bed that is almost completely shaded by a huge ficus tree that look nothing like as happy as yours. I haven't been fertilizing, though, do you mind telling me what brand of fertilizer you use? I'm getting ready to completely redo that bed, and was contemplating ripping them out, but I may try moving them instead. They currently get hit by the sun mid-day just for a bit as it passes over the house, and that may be doing them in.

From what I understand, and I am no expert, BOP like to be fed heavily and be crowded. Your lighting sounds very similar to mine. I can't remember the name of the fertilizer. I am not in Tucson currently, or I would go look at the package, but I purchase the fertilizer at Home Depot. It is about a 1-2 pound package, granular fertilizer. It is for acid loving plants. I use about one package for the bed each time I fertilize. They also get plently of water, and a light misting of the foliage occasionally with the water makes them happy. They are top dressed with a run of the mill packaged garden mulch to help retain moisture and will also breakdown to help feed them. Good luck! I have a pot of them at our other home in the northwest which also do very well. I greenhouse them for the winter there. I will attach a picture of them.

Thanks, I'll look for a similar fertilizer and see if I can perk mine up. I'll also put them a little closer together when I transplant so that I crowd them a bit.

Your photo is absolutely gorgeous, they look very healthy and happy. And your hosta is drool worthy. I so miss hostas!