red bird of paradise
Caesalpinia pulcherrima
RHS AGM 2012
USDA zones9 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size10 to 20 feet tall6 to 12 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Multi-trunked
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Yellow, orange, red
- Foliage color
- Blue, green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a shrub for borders, containers, and pollinator gardens. It grows outdoors year-round in USDA zone 9 and warmer, down to about 20°F (-7°C). In colder areas, grow it as a houseplant or bring it indoors for winter. This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist soil of most types. Its yellow, orange, and red flowers draw butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds. Deer tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Desert willow, Little bluestem, and Stonecrop.
Native range
Caribbean.