Originally Posted by Planter56

Bird of Paradise are very easy to grow in the home. I had one for well over 20 years until it contracted a petiol problem and died. During the winter,keep in a nice sunny window, keep it on the dry side, but not desert dry. The flower stalks arise from the leaf axils and mine usually started flowering around about December. If you have many fowers starting to form, then keep watered and fertilized with a 5/10/10 if you can, but a 20/20/20 will do just fine as well. When spring get there, outside it goes into a shady area first and then gradually introduce to sun over time. Don't forget that the leaves will get light sensitive over the winter and need reacclimation come spring. Once new leaves begin show, keep moist and fertilze about every 2 weeks.
The plant should start to flower when it has achieved about 7 to 10 mature leaves.

One other thing, Bird of Paradise have two forms, one divides through the crown and one forms produces offsets. If you look in the pot you should be able to tell the difference. I would try and get the one that produces offsets in stead of the one that divides by the crown. The one that divides by the crown, can and does produces distorted leaves. Sorta like conjoined twins, where two leaves are produced at the same time and are not separate.