LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN : PEUT-ON CULTIVER UN OISEAU DE PARADIS DEHORS EN FRANCE ? (émission N°98)

NewsJardinTV, the channel dedicated 100% to plants, gardens, botany, and gardening, is honored and pleased to offer you this 98th issue of its daily show: "Le Quotidien du Jardin." This program is available free of charge for 24 hours, after which it is made available exclusively to members of NewsJardinTV Le Club. Patrick Mioulane, editor-in-chief of NewsJardinTV, responds to our subscriber T.T., who posted the following question on the website www.newsjardintv.com: I would like to plant a strelitzia in my garden in the South of France with chalky and sandy soil. What do you recommend for the ideal soil for this plant? Although he didn't specify, it's likely that our subscriber wants to grow Strelitzia reginae, also known as the bird of paradise, due to the curious shape of its flowers, which resemble a bird's head. In our region, it is the most common of the five species officially included in this genus: Strelitzia alba, S. caudata, S. juncea, S. nicolai, S. reginae. The genus Strelitzia was created in 1788 by the British naturalist Joseph Banks (1743-1820), who participated in James Cook's first voyage around the world. He wanted to pay tribute to Queen Charlotte of England (1744-1818), wife of King George III of England (1738-1820). Her maiden name was Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and she was passionate about botany (she contributed to the creation of the famous Kew Gardens in London). Strelitzia, which, along with Phenakospermum guyannense and the eight species of Ravenala (traveler's trees), constitute the Strelitziaceae family, are all plants from southern Africa. Strelitzia reginae is a herbaceous perennial with a fleshy rhizomatous base that, in mainland France, can only grow in the ground in well-sheltered gardens on the Côte d'Azur, as it must not be exposed to frost. Ideally, it should be grown in a large pot and overwintered in a conservatory where the temperature will not drop below 8/10°C. The bird of paradise plant forms a clump 70 cm to 1.50 m tall, consisting of oblong, evergreen, fairly leathery leaves, marked with wavy veins, which are borne on sturdy, upright petioles. From June to September, the plant bears bird's-head-shaped flowers, with a long, bluish beak formed by the fused petals and a crest made up of three variegated orange-pink sepals. In nature, Strelitzia flowers are generally pollinated by birds or chiropterans. The bird of paradise should be grown in rich, relatively fresh soil, heavily enriched with organic matter (compost or decomposed manure). In pots, a mixture of equal parts potting soil, sand, and garden soil is suitable. Water generously in summer, up to twice a week. However, during the winter dormancy period, limit watering, simply ensuring that the soil doesn't dry out completely. Finally, a quick look at the tree strelitzia (Strelitzia nicolai), which can grow 3 to 5 meters tall with 2 meter long leaves, arranged in a fan shape like those of the traveler's tree. The inflorescences have the same bird's head shape as those of Strelitzia reginae (some say canoe flowers), a dark purplish-blue, almost black, and white sepals. In its native country, the tree strelitzia is pollinated by the red-breasted sunbird (Nectarinia afra), which lands on the spathe and feasts on the nectar. Thank you for watching this daily program. We hope you enjoyed this short video interlude. The entire NewsJardinTV team wishes you a wonderful day and will see you tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a new program: "LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN" (Garden Daily). It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else! Tomorrow, Patrick will answer this question: Is it possible to cut the leaves of my Beaucarnea back by half without damaging it? They've become very long, you can't see the trunk anymore, and the tips of some leaves are dry.