Do you have it in full sun? By your name I assume youÂre in El Paso. If it was very young when you planted it then it may be putting all its energy into establishing roots. Established Red Birds around town, one I have in my yard included, started blooming in May. Mine are in the ground and get watered every day, so as long as you have them in well draining soil, daily watering shouldnÂt be a problem.

Mike

I have what I was told was a Bird of Paradise, but it looks very different than the ones around town. The leaves are round, almost like the Mimosa trees we had in Atlanta, but when it bloomed last year, the flower was yellow. It this a different kind of Bird of Paradise tree? It died all the way back and has all new growth from the bottom.

Will you see "straight-yellow" flowers held upright, somewhat "torch-like" in form? If so, you may have a plant commonly referred to as "Yellow Bird of Paradise". This plant blooms much later, being cut to the ground in winter, and only puts on its flowers late in Las Cruces. The small, almost-ovate leaves, and the "very upward" form of the plant, doesn't look anything like the other common "Bird of Paradise". I think this "Mexican plant" is only marginally hardy in southern NM..?? I don't remember Mimosa trees, weeds, in the lower South, having "round" leaves.

Yes, I think you've hit it. Should I cut it back at some point as winter approaches? The mimosa trees we had in Atlanta had more oval shaped leaves, not really round.

I left my "Yellow Bird" alone until early spring, when new growth began to shoot from the base. This is likely a take-a-chance-plant, even in Cruces (?). I try to leave the old,browned, tops until spring, when dealing with an "unknown"...possibly marginally-hardy plant. Don't know..if this is right, or wrong??

My Birds of Paradise went in last fall. They get lots of sun. Two clumps are in the grown and two are in pots. The ones in the ground began blooming in the Spring. The two pots began blooming in late summer.

This is my second go around with this plant. My first attempt ended with a huge plant but no blooms. Too much shade.

However in Central Mexico where I live blood meal really makes them bloom.

My last to bloom plant still has three blooms.

Should the blooms be cut off when they die?

Where I live in Arizona doesn't get severe winter weather but we do get a few good hard freezes. We always wait until after the freeze hits to trim back our plants. This way the outside growth protects the inner part of the plant. Bird of Paradise likes to be in the ground, speaking from my experience, and we use a drip on it daily. They do need to be trimmed back to where new growth is starting after the freeze then they will grow quickly, once the plant is mature, and start blooming a couple months after the last frost. In our area they are still blooming, but my larger ones are getting seed pods and slowing down. I just trim the bare minimum off now and remove all pods and any dead bloom spike sticks. Leaving the bulk of the plant. They do need full sun.