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How to grow a strelitzia

Updated: 22 October 2026

The plant in your hand is a young strelitzia in a 9 cm or 12 cm nursery pot, and a British winter is the part that catches people out. How to grow a strelitzia in a UK home is light, water, feed and a pot only one size up, with nights at or above about 10–12°C. A July watering rhythm in November leaves the compost soggy. The six listings are on the [Strelitzia plant comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/strelitzia-plant). This page uses those pots only as the size you start with. Peter F. is passing on the Royal Horticultural Society year, not a home trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The plant in your hand is a young strelitzia in a 9 cm or 12 cm nursery pot, and a British winter is the part that catches people out.

Our top picks

Carbeth Plants Carbeth 30–40 cm Strelitzia, 12 cm pot

Best overall

Carbeth Plants Carbeth 30–40 cm Strelitzia, 12 cm pot
8.6/10about £16.99
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Perfect Plants Perfect Plants Strelitzia reginae, 12 cm pot

Rank 2

Perfect Plants Perfect Plants Strelitzia reginae, 12 cm pot
8.2/10about £17.95
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Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia in a 9 cm pot, 2 m claim

Rank 3

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia in a 9 cm pot, 2 m claim
7.8/10about £14.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Light and winter heat
  2. 2.Water, feed and the cover pot
  3. 3.Compost and repotting a 9 cm or 12 cm pot
  4. 4.Summer outside, splits and when to ask for help

Light and winter heat

Put the plant in bright light beside a sunny window, or in a conservatory. Shade it from scorch. Turn the pot a quarter at each watering so it does not lean towards the glass. A north-facing flat will keep a weak plant. Never let it go below about 10–12°C. Ventilate once the room reaches about 20°C. RHS hardiness for Strelitzia reginae is H1B: summer outdoors only in shelter, otherwise a house or heated glass. Bring it indoors before nights fall near 12°C. Species size is on the Strelitzia reginae vs nicolai page.

Water, feed and the cover pot

Water freely while the plant is growing. The RHS wants the compost moist but not saturated. Ease off through autumn. From the end of November, let the compost get fairly dry between waterings. A July jug in December leaves the pot wet while the plant is resting. Empty a cover pot or saucer after you water. The nursery pot must drain. Feel the compost. Feed a balanced liquid fertiliser monthly during growth, and stop through the winter rest. BBC Gardeners’ World says every two weeks from April to September. Use the monthly RHS line here. More feed will not make a 9 cm plant flower this year. Age and the missing bloom are on the strelitzia not flowering page.
Carbeth Plants Carbeth 30–40 cm Strelitzia, 12 cm pot

Testsieger

Carbeth Plants Carbeth 30–40 cm Strelitzia, 12 cm pot
8.6/10about £16.99
View offer

Compost and repotting a 9 cm or 12 cm pot

Use peat-free John Innes No. 3 plus grit, the loam-based mix the RHS names so the compost drains. Repot one size up, in spring, about every couple of years. A slightly tight pot tends to flower better once the plant is old enough to flower at all. Newly bought plants usually stay in the nursery pot for a year or two. The £23.99 listing does not state a pot size, so measure the pot you receive. A large wet pot around a small root ball leaves a young plant sitting in water. Which listing stated which pot is on the strelitzia plant buying guide.

Summer outside, splits and when to ask for help

A summer outside is a sheltered visit, after you acclimatise the plant. Wind shreds patio leaves and can blow over a top-heavy plant in a small pot. Bring it in before nights drop towards 12°C. Older-leaf splits are normal, including on the listing that says the plant grows to 2 m. A split is not a flowering fault. Pests on the RHS species page are scale insects, glasshouse red spider mite and mealybug. If scale has spread through a collection, or the crown is black and soft, ask a nursery. Call a vet if a pet eats any part. Dogs Trust lists Strelitzia reginae seeds as affecting the gastrointestinal tract.

Common questions

What happens if the cover pot stays full of water?
The nursery pot then sits in a puddle, which is the saturated compost the RHS tells you to avoid. Empty the sleeve or the saucer after every watering. Listings that arrive very moist, as some reviewers described on the 12 cm Carbeth plant, need a day to drain before you add more. A decorative cover pot is fine when it is dry between waterings.
What compost and feed does the RHS describe?
Peat-free John Innes No. 3 plus grit, and a balanced liquid fertiliser monthly while the plant is growing. Gardeners’ World says every two weeks from April to September. Keep those as two sources, and follow the monthly RHS line on this page. Do not feed through the winter rest. A tighter pot and monthly feed are care for a growing plant, not a way to force a flower from a pot you bought this spring.
When do you repot a 9 cm or 12 cm plant?
Leave a newly bought plant in its nursery pot for a year or two unless it is badly root-bound. Then move one size up, in spring, about every couple of years. A slightly tight pot flowers better once the plant is old enough. The £23.99 listing does not state a pot size, so measure the pot you received. Jumping a 9 cm root ball into a large wet pot is the usual way to drown it.
Can it go outside in a British summer?
Yes, as a sheltered summer visit, after you acclimatise it. H1B is not a UK winter outdoors. Bring it in before nights fall near 12°C. Wind shreds the leaves and can knock over a tall plant in a small pot. Older-leaf splits are normal and can look worse after a windy week on a patio.
When do pests or a soft crown mean you ask for help?
Scale, glasshouse red spider mite and mealybug are the pests the RHS names. A few scales can be watched and wiped. Scale through a whole collection, or a crown that is black and soft, is the point to ask a nursery. Call a vet if a pet eats any part. Brown edges alone are a conditions problem. The reason a young plant has no flower is age as well as light, and that wait is a separate question from a brown tip.

Related pages

Best strelitzia plant

Strelitzia plant

Strelitzia plant buying guide for the amazon parcel

Strelitzia not flowering on a young bird of paradise

Strelitzia reginae vs nicolai: size and flower colour

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. Scores apply to these six listings only.

  1. RHS: how to grow strelitzia (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Strelitzia reginae (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. RHS: hardiness ratings (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. BBC Gardeners' World: Strelitzia nicolai (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: plant passports in Great Britain (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Dogs Trust / VPIS poisonous substances factsheet (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Grow Tropicals: Strelitzia nicolai (retrieved 20 October 2026)