Plant of the month Strelitzia

Crane flowers impress with their vivid flowers and large leaves.

This indigenous plant is a favourite in South African gardens. It bears attractive orange-andblue flowers that resemble the head of the crane bird, hence its common name.

The crane flower is at its most beautiful from late autumn to early summer, providing much-needed winter colour as the flowers appear one after the other on long, strong stems carried above the foliage. The shrub’s grey-green leaves look good all year round and are just as attractive in floral arrangements as the blooms. Even a single flower or a few leaves in a large glass jar make a statement and they last long in the vase.

This evergreen plant occurs naturally in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coastal areas and grows especially well in frost-free gardens. It can be grown in areas with mild to moderate frost; make sure it is in a sheltered spot.

Crane flowers like well-drained, compost-rich soil in full sun or where they get at least half a day of sun. The more sun, the more it flowers and the more attractive the plant. Don’t remove the spent flower heads after they’ve bloomed – they provide texture in the garden. After the plant has flowered, its stem tip and calyx change from salmon-pink to flame-red. Only remove spent flowers once they’ve turned brown.

Mature plants can be divided in autumn but it takes the plant a few years to recover and bloom again. However, it is still good to divide older plants and neaten them as they can become untidy and unattractive after a few years. Trim off unsightly and dead leaves regularly.

Crane flowers are low-maintenance droughtresistant plants that require little water once they are established.

Did you know?

There are five Strelitzia species in South Africa, of which S. reginae is the most popular. The best-known cultivar grown here is ‘Mandela’s Gold’ with sepals that are more yellow than that of the ordinary crane flower. The other species are S. alba, S. caudata, S. nicolai (Natal wild banana, a large tropical plant) and S. juncea with its reed-like foliage. S. reginae and S. juncea can be grown as container plants but make sure the container in which you plant them is big enough.