Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mexican Bird of Paradise Tree
Mexican bird of paradise is a thornless shrub or small tree with fine, bright green leaves and spikes of lemon-yellow flowers from spring through fall. It grows 10 to 15 feet tall and takes full sun and reflected heat. Once established it wants weekly water in spring and summer for steady bloom, and a deep monthly soak in winter. Hummingbirds and butterflies work the flowers all season.
Best for: a small patio or entry tree, color in hot reflected-heat spots, and a low-water background screen.
With a few trunks selected and the lower shoots removed, it becomes a small tree with a lacy canopy. It has no thorns, so it sits comfortably by walks and seating areas. Prune lightly in early spring, since heavy cuts set it back.
It thrives in full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving, where many flowering plants fade in summer. A west or south wall suits it, and a weekly soak in spring and summer keeps it blooming.
Left as a big multi-stem shrub, it fills in fast with regular summer water and makes a flowering background along walls and property lines. Plant it 8 to 12 feet apart, center to center, for a screen.
In part shade it grows leggy with fewer flowers, and it needs well-drained soil. It can drop leaves below about 25°F, and a hard freeze may knock it to the roots before it resprouts. Stems are brittle, and ripe pods split and fling seeds that are poisonous if eaten.
- As a screen8-12 ft apart, center to center
- Row of small trees8-12 ft apart, center to center
For the first two weeks, water a new tree every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months. Ease to about weekly in summer by the second month. Keep up deep, regular soaks for its first 3 years.
Once rooted, water about every 1 to 2 weeks in spring and summer for steady blooms. A deep soak about once a month is enough in winter.
Prune lightly in early spring. Remove spent seed pods to keep flowers coming and to cut down on seedlings.
It does not need fertilizer. It is in the pea family and grows well in native desert soil.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Mexican bird of paradise get?
About 10 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide in Arizona. It grows fast with regular water and more slowly on a dry schedule. For a screen, plant it 8 to 12 feet apart.
How often should I water it?
New plants need a tapering schedule: every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks, easing to every 10 to 14 days by week eight. Once established, water deeply about weekly in spring and summer for continuous bloom, and less often in winter.
Why isn't my Mexican bird of paradise blooming?
The usual causes are shade and dry spells. In part shade it gets leggy with fewer flowers, so give it full sun. Weekly water during the warm season keeps flowers coming, and snipping off spent flower stalks pushes more bloom.
Is Mexican bird of paradise poisonous?
The ripe seeds are poisonous, and the plant is listed as poisonous. Plant it where kids and pets won't chew the pods, and cut off spent flower stalks before pods form.
Is it messy?
Yes, it can make a mess. The pods dry, split and throw seeds a surprising distance, which leads to volunteer seedlings. Cutting off flower stalks after bloom prevents most of that. It can also drop leaves in a freeze.
Does it have thorns?
No. Unlike red bird of paradise, Mexican bird of paradise is thornless, which makes it easier to plant near walks and patios.
How cold hardy is it?
It is rated hardy to about 15 to 18°F. It may drop some leaves below about 25°F. If a hard freeze kills the top, it usually resprouts from the roots, and mulching the root area before a freeze helps.
Can I grow it as a small tree?
Yes. It can be trained to a small tree, but that takes more pruning than leaving it as a shrub. Select a few trunks, cut extra base shoots while they are young, and prune lightly in early spring, since heavy cuts set it back.
How is it different from red, yellow and desert bird of paradise?
Mexican bird of paradise has solid yellow flower spikes, reaches 10 to 15 feet and is hardy to about 18°F. Red bird of paradise has red and orange flowers and dies back when it freezes. Our Yellow Bird of Paradise is a golden-yellow form of the red one. Desert bird of paradise, sometimes called yellow bird of paradise too, has yellow flowers with long red stamens.
Does it need fertilizer?
No. It is in the pea family and grows well without fertilizer. Native desert soil with good drainage is all it needs.
When is the best time to plant it?
Fall is best, since it gets three seasons to root in before summer. Early spring is the next best choice, as long as it goes in well before June heat.
Is it evergreen?
It keeps its leaves through mild Valley winters and in warm, protected spots. In colder areas and freezing weather it drops them, then leafs out again in spring.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. The flowers draw hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees through the warm season.
Mexican Bird of Paradise Tree for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mexican bird of paradise is a thornless small tree grown across the Valley for its lemon-yellow flowers from spring through fall. It takes full sun and reflected heat on little water. This page answers the questions Arizona gardeners ask most.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big Mexican bird of paradise gets in Arizona
Expect about 10 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide, growing fast with regular summer water.
Watering Mexican bird of paradise
Taper new plants from every 3 to 4 days down to every 10 to 14 days over eight weeks. Established plants need a deep monthly soak, or weekly in spring and summer for steady bloom.
Getting more flowers
Give it full sun and weekly water through the warm season. Remove spent flower stalks, and skip fertilizer, since it does not need it. That pushes heavier bloom from spring through fall.
Training it as a small tree
Pick a few strong trunks, remove extra shoots at the base while young, and prune lightly in early spring.
Mexican bird of paradise in winter
It is hardy to about 15 to 18°F. It may drop leaves below about 25°F and usually resprouts from the roots after a hard freeze.
Mexican vs red, yellow and desert bird of paradise
Mexican has solid yellow flower spikes and can be trained as a small tree. Red is a smaller shrub with red and orange flowers that dies back in frost. Yellow Bird of Paradise is a golden form of the red one, and desert bird of paradise has yellow flowers with long red stamens.
Seed pods and safety
Ripe seeds are poisonous and the pods fling them when they split. Cutting spent flower stalks keeps pods, seedlings, and mess down.
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