Bird of Paradise as a Patio Tree

Q. My HOA wants a tree in my landscape and  so I planted a Mexican Bird of Paradise last April. The main trunk broke in a windstorm so now I have three trunks almost 5 feet tall and each a double thumb-width wide, starting 8-12” above the soil. How can I make it a tree?

Red Bird of Paradise has beautiful red flowers and grows just about anywhere its warm enough. 

A. I think everything hangs on the HOA definition of a “tree”. Most people consider Mexican bird of paradise a shrub, not a tree. A good argument could be made though, that many shrubs are transformed into trees through pruning . Many of our desert trees are “shrubby”. Sometimes popular landscape shrubs are pruned into small trees and called “patio trees”.

Bird of paradise in tree form.

            The second part this dilemma is whether the HOA considers a tree to have only a single trunk or multiple trunks. In the nursery trade there are “multi-trunked trees”like crape myrtle and strawberry tree. These multiple trunks usually vary from three to about five in number. So, get ready for a battle of definitions!

Typically we think of Red Bird of Paradise as a shrub, not a tree. But if the plant is pruned and maintained as a tree, why not? I would probably chose to prune it as a multi trunk tree if possible.

            In this case, I would prune it into a single trunk, so it does not look like a shrub. Also, when multiple “suckers” arise from a single trunk, as they did in yours, they frequently have narrow crotch angles that are weak and become problems as they get older. I haven’t seen your plant but removing all but one of these suckers gets rid of this potential problem.

            Pick one sucker that is the strongest and remove the others as close to the trunk as possible. This sucker may or may not be flowering. Maybe it’s not the straightest of the suckers but it doesn’t matter. The growth of this pruned “shrub (now a tree) will straighten out in a year or two. In the meantime, other suckers may try to compete for dominance with the remaining sucker. Remove any competitors, when they reveal themselves, anytime of the year with a pruning shears or your fingers.

            Remember to sharpen and sanitize any pruning equipment you use on these plants. You are at the mercy of your HOA so be kind to the Board Members.