We have many birds that visit our backyard, but my favorite birds are these Desert Bird of Paradise, caesalpinia gilliesii.
There was one outside my bedroom when I was growing up in South Texas. Several years ago nostalgia set in as I began searching for a plant but could not find one anywhere. Finally, I ordered seeds from Trade Winds Fruit in Windsor, California.
Today I have five Birds in the ground, two in pots and plenty of seeds. I harvest the seeds, in a pod rather like a snow pea, when they are dry and rattle slightly. The first year I brought the pods in the house and put them in a bowl in the dining room. The pods would dry out more and pop open as seeds and pods flew into the air.
They lose most of their leaves in the winter and come back in the spring and bloom through the spring and summer and sometimes into fall.
PHOTOS BY HUSBAND
THE COASTAL CRONE 
Beautiful ! mine is all yellow..came back this year, but San Antonio never really has a hard enough to bite them back for good…
I will have to check your seed source…
Thank you for sharing your space in photos…..
Take Care..You Matter…
)0(
maryrose
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Beautiful!!! Love them~
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Very Beautiful 🙂
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Thank you! They are special because they remind me of the past. Thank you for taking time to stop and comment.
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Stopping by your blog has always been a pleasure 🙂
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Oh my, we had these when I was growing Up! Had forgotten how beautiful they are……..I shall plant some myself! Thank you for thus beautiful post. We have arrived in a Vancouver and shall spend the day with Virginia and Lar tomorrow. This is so very exciting!
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They should do well in your dry country. We did not have many flowers where I grew up except maybe in the spring if we had rain the wildflowers and cactus would be beautiful.
I am excited also about your meeting with Virginia and Lar too! You must be there right now relishing her special magic and hospitality. Oh, the tales you will tell. I am there in spirit! You and Augustine have a safe trip home.
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Wow! Such a gorgeous plant. And Husband did good. Great photos. 🙂
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This coast is bare compared to your green country so we appreciate the beauty when we find it. Husband has more patience with photos than I do and he shares with me. Good to hear from you Doran. Thanks for stopping by.
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Beautiful, I remember them down in Houston but can’t grown them up here in Dallas, I have tried a couple of times years ago. I wonder though, maybe in pots.
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I sent some seeds to a friend near Oklahoma City and she kept them in pots and brought them in for the winter and she has a sun room. Yes, Dallas gets the coldest weather and the hottest! All we have to worry about are hurricanes. It is good to see you positive these days. Thanks for the visit – always a treat.
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These are amazing blooms. Great photos, too.
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Yes, I think they are rather amazing. Growing up in South Texas we didn’t have many flowers except in the spring and then most of them were cactus. Husband is good to let me use his photos!
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Rick lets me use his, too. 🙂 I need to figure out how to stamp his name on his.
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How gorgeous!
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They are rather showy in their simple way and easy to grow. Thanks for the visit.
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These are just gorgeous. They, of course, do not grow in Canada so a lovely treat to see these lovely pics.
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They are really called Desert Bird of Paradise – just left that out on the original post but added it today. They grow mainly along the southwestern states. I envy all the gorgeous things you can grow in Canada. Thanks for stopping by to comment. I have enjoyed following your travels. Stay well and safe!
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If that had been a quiz question I wouldn’t have known the answer! Extremely attractive. Never seen them before.
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Your bird of paradise takes ones breath away. So beautiful – so wonderfully exotic looking they can’t possibly be real, Jo Nell. And while we are on the subject of things wonderful – our visit with Tin Man and Augustine was nothing short of wonderful. We spoke of you, and hope that all is going well. XX V.
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Just glorious! Such vivid colors and I like how the sun shines spreading its rays.
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The “Birds” are one of the prettiest I have seen. My mother always wanted one for her yard. Do you have extra seeds? I would love to try some here in Marble Falls. With instructions of course. Good Job JoNell!
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Thank you, Jackie! I always have plenty and will be glad to send you some. I will message you on FB and you can give me your address.
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The bird of paradise plant is lovely. I know what you mean about the nostalgia for a plant. I did a post last year on flowering shrubs, and used some pictures from the 1913 Ladies Home Journal of shrubs that were popular at that time. One of the drawings was of Kerria Japonica. And, suddenly I remembered that my family had one when I was a child–though I didn’t know the name of it. Ever since then I’ve had an urge to try to find a Kerria Japonica plant to put in my yard–though in reality I probably don’t have enough space for it.
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Ha ha, we both wrote about birds recently. 🙂 I enjoy seeing these when visiting my parents during the winter in Florida. So gorgeous.
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Well, I hope your bird survived – good post! I can see where the Desert Bird of Paradise would do well in Florida. Thanks for the visit to my backyard.
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Funny – I’d never heard of these birds. At first I kept looking at the photos, trying to find ‘flying’ birds. Your plant birds are beautiful.
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I should have explained my birds better! Thank you for taking the time to look for real birds and commenting. Drop by anytime!
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Oh wow, what exotic birds they are too 🙂 Love these flowers I have not seen the like of these before CC…. Wonderful back garden.. thank you for sharing them with us.. Love and Blessings Sue xox
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Beautiful orange Desert Bird of Paradise, and It does take a lot of water to grow.
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After they get established they do not need much water. We have water restrictions on lawns so we are trying to go with more beds and plants that are drought tolerant. Thanks for taking time to comment!
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Beautiful post and pictures. While our Brooklyn yard does not attract exotic birds, we thrill when we see our neighborhood cardinals making themselves comfortable in our quince tree (which made its existence known only after a nearby tree was cut down). When a wood dove’s call reminds me of a place where these birds are plentiful–my husband’s home country, Barbados, I offer a thank-you for visiting. Thank you for liking my blog post.
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It is always a pleasure to visit you blog. Thanks for the kind comments. You are fortunate to have cardinals even in your city.
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