I haven't tried rooting cuttings from Pride of Barbados, but they sure grow fast from seeds. They come up all over from the mother plant.

Hi Beachplant,
Not sure if you still have seeds but I would love some. I have only seen the orange and yellow ones. Not sure where you are in Texas but I am in Victoria and would be glad to do whatever I need to do for you to mail me some. Please let me know.

According to this website, http://www.tropilab.com/caesal-pul.html , Pride of Barbados a.k.a. Bird of Paradise can be propagated by cuttings although it doesn't give more info. than that. It's my understanding, however, that it's not best to plant young Pride of Barbados in the fall because they don't have the root system established to support them through the winter if their top foliage is cut down by a freeze.

I currently have eight baby Pride of Barbados grown from seeds collected by my mother some 6-7 years ago. I obviously didn't plant the seeds right away so was happily surprised so many of them germinated after such a long time. I plan to overwinter mine in a greenhouse and will plant them in the yard in the spring. You are welcome to one of mine if your cuttings aren't successful.

Well, I never could find my rooting powder and the cuttings just got gross in the water, never made roots. So out they went to the compost pile. Turns out DH's work has these plants too, so he grabbed a bunch of seeds one day and planted some as a little project w/ our baby girl. They still haven't come up yet, but it's only been a week. We'll see how they do!

Maden theshade, if you do not have any luck with them coming up may I suggest that if you try it again clip a small spot from the side of the seed until you can see the light colored interior, soak in warm water overnight and then plant them. Mine usually come up in a short time doing this. You can do the same with a file but I usually file the ends of my fingers instead of the seed when I try filing. Fingernail clippers are easier for me with small seed.
Patsy

I have tried to root from end cuttings, but have had no luck. I have a cherry colored Barbados that produces flowers late September so never has a chance to seed. I'm going to try to do air layering on a couple of branches and cutting from further down on the branch to see what happens.

Hello from the sunny and hot island of Barbados. I have noticed that many of you dedicated gardeners are calling the pride of Barbados the 'bird of paradise' I know that the bird of paradise is another flower in the heliconia family. It becomes confusing when people misidentify the names of plants and am wondering where and when did the pride of Barbados became a bird of paradise? I don't think the pride of barbados can be propagated by cuttings. Here on the island it is always done by seed. It would be interesting to see if it can be done by cuttings.

Here is a link that might be useful: my rustic bajan garden

Hi Islandgal! Thanks for your post.

Yes, common plant names do get very confusing. I guess the reason why some of us call Pride of Barbados a 'Bird of Paradise' is because we have a similar plant native to Texas and Mexico that has commonly been called 'Bird of Paradise' for generations.

Now off to look at your garden :-)

BTW, some of us have ordered and planted seeds for a Pink Pride of Barbados. I'm wondering if you grow that one or are familiar with it?

Hey Roselee,

I don't grow pride of Barbados but many people here plant hedges of it. I have seen the pink around and will look for the seeds. Well enjoy your visit to my garden:-)

Islandgal, your blog is wonderful! I spent an hour looking at the photos and reading and am still not done. My dream is to garden in a tropical area like yours, but we do the best we can with what we have.

Let me know if you find and collect some seeds from the Pink Pride of Barbados and maybe, just maybe, there is something from this part of the world that I can trade for them :-)

Roselee thanks for stopping by and I will be on the prowl for those seeds for you.