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Strelitzia not flowering

Updated: 22 October 2026

The photo showed an orange flower, and the plant on the windowsill has paddle leaves and nothing else. Strelitzia not flowering, on a young bird of paradise in a UK home, is usually age. Strelitzia reginae has to be large, and about five to ten years old, before it blooms. The orange stem in some amazon.co.uk parcels is plastic on purpose. The six listings, as of 20 October 2026, are on the [Strelitzia plant comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/strelitzia-plant). This page stays with age, light and that stem. Peter F. is using the Royal Horticultural Society for the age line. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The photo showed an orange flower, and the plant on the windowsill has paddle leaves and nothing else. Strelitzia not flowering, on a young bird of paradise in a UK home, is usually age.

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
View offer
Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia with white pot claimed

Rank 3

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia with white pot claimed
6.6/10about £23.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Age before a real flower
  2. 2.The plastic stem in the box
  3. 3.Light, feed and a tight pot
  4. 4.What you can decide now

Age before a real flower

The RHS line is the one to keep. Strelitzia reginae usually has to be a substantial size and about five to ten years old before it blooms. Flowers are orange and blue, in winter and spring. That is not a promise that a plant bought this spring will flower next winter. Several Carbeth listings say about four to six years, which is why a plastic stem is in the box. A 9 cm or 12 cm pot is at the start of that wait. More water will not move it onto the RHS timetable. The year’s water is on the how to grow a strelitzia page.

The plastic stem in the box

Three listings include a free artificial flowering stem: the 30–40 cm plant and the quantity-clash row at about £16.99, and the white-pot claim at about £23.99. The stem makes the parcel look like the photo. UK reviews on the 30–40 cm listing say the plastic flower was not obvious from the picture. The two 9 cm pots do not say a plastic stem is included. The named Strelitzia reginae does not state one either, though one UK review mentions one. Which lines are written down is on the strelitzia plant buying guide. Take the plastic out. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the goods have to match the description.
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

Light, feed and a tight pot

Once the plant is large enough, it still flowers only with adequate light and feed. A north-facing flat will not produce a flower. Bright sun or a conservatory, with shade from scorch, is the setting. Split leaves are normal, and they are not a flowering fault. The RHS says flowering is generally better if the plant is slightly pot-bound. That is for a mature plant, not a new 9 cm root ball in a large tub. Feed monthly during growth, and stop in winter. A cool rest around 10–12°C is not permission to go below that.

What you can decide now

Keep a young plant as foliage. A real orange-and-blue flower is a later event, about five to ten years from a young start. If you need that flower this year, skip every pot in this set, including the named species and the £23.99 claim. Once you accept that skip, the conditional pick for a bright room is on the best strelitzia plant page. If the stem is plastic and the photo implied a living flower, tell the seller. A higher price does not buy the bloom. Call a vet if a pet eats any part.

Common questions

How old does Strelitzia reginae have to be before it flowers in the UK?
The RHS says it usually has to be a substantial size and about five to ten years old. Seed-raised plants can take five or even up to ten years. Flowers, when they come, are orange and blue, in winter and spring, and one bloom can last up to a month. Seller pages in this set say about four to six years. That is their figure. Three-to-four-year and two-year claims from other magazines are not the line used here.
Is the orange stem in the parcel a real flower?
On the 30–40 cm listing, the row whose title says x2, and the £23.99 listing, the stem is a free artificial flower. The seller includes it because the plant will not produce these flowers in the UK for about four to six years. It is not a spike the plant opened in transit. UK reviews on the 30–40 cm listing say that was not obvious from the picture. Take the plastic out and grow the leaves.
Which listings say the stem is artificial?
Those three Carbeth listings state the free artificial stem. The two 9 cm pots at about £14.99 mention the four-to-six-year wait and do not say a plastic stem is included. The named Strelitzia reginae does not state an artificial stem, though one review mentions one and others say there is no flower yet. Read the bullet on the page you are buying, not the photo alone.
Will more water or a bigger pot make a 9 cm plant bloom this year?
It will not. Age comes first, and a 9 cm or 12 cm plant from this set is at the beginning of a five-to-ten-year RHS wait. Extra water in winter is a way to keep the compost saturated. A much larger pot around a new root ball does the same. A slightly tight pot helps later, on a plant that is already large. It does not pull a flower out of a juvenile this season.
What should a gift buyer do if they expected the photo’s flower now?
If the stem is plastic and the photo implied a living flower, the description had to say so. That is the Consumer Rights Act 2015 point about goods matching the description. Tell the seller when the parcel does not match. If you can accept foliage, keep the live plant in a bright room and ignore the plastic. If you needed a real orange flower this year, none of these six pots was the right order.

Related pages

Strelitzia reginae vs nicolai

Strelitzia plant

Best strelitzia plant for a bright room, not a bloom

Strelitzia plant buying guide for the amazon parcel

How to grow a strelitzia plant through a UK winter

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)