Bird of Paradise Plant Care: December Sun Is 2.5 Hours a Day

From November to January, a bird of paradise in Toronto gets less sun than the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) says it needs. From November to February, the job is rationing. Put it in your brightest south window with the blinds up. Water only when the top of the soil has dried, and keep it out of cold drafts and hot vents. Keep the room's humidity where Health Canada puts it, not where the plant would like it. Expect no flowers until the plant is about five years old, and only with a lot of light. In Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981-2010 normals, downtown Toronto averaged 78.1 hours of bright sunshine in December. That's 78.1 ÷ 31 = 2.52 hours a day, under the three to four hours of direct sun NYBG asks for.

How much light a Toronto winter actually gives it

The National Research Council's sun calculator puts sunrise in Toronto at 7:48 a.m. and sunset at 4:43 p.m. on December 21, 2026. That's 8 hours 55 minutes of daylight, against 15 hours 27 minutes on June 21.

Cloud takes most of that. Environment and Climate Change Canada's climate normals for its downtown Toronto station, its long-run averages, count the hours of "bright sunshine" the station recorded. December gets 78.1 of them, 28.0 per cent of the daylight possible. That sunshine record ran from 1981 to 2001. The 1991-2020 normals for the four GTA stations we read have none.

NYBG's care guide asks for "three to four hours of direct sunlight near a south-facing window with no blinds drawn or directly in a very bright, unobstructed east-facing window." NC State Extension rates the orange species, Strelitzia reginae, for full sun, "6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day", or part shade, 2 to 6 hours. For the white species, Strelitzia nicolai, it gives part shade only and says it "prefers bright, indirect light."

Every month clears the 2 hours at the bottom of that part-shade rating. November, December and January miss NYBG's three hours, though. Those are open-sky hours, so a shaded window gets less. Give it your best glass, and turn the pot a quarter turn at each watering, as NYBG does, so every leaf gets its share.

Water, feeding and temperature through the dark months

NYBG calls fall and winter the plant's "slow growth period", so it drinks less. The sources split on feeding.

• Water. NYBG waters "when the top inch of the potting mixture becomes dry". In fall and winter it gives "only enough water to keep the plant from drying out around the roots." The Toronto Master Gardeners test by pushing a finger "into the soil up to the second knuckle."
• Feeding. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension says to "fertilize every 2 weeks throughout the summer, and monthly in the winter". NYBG says "No fertilizer is needed during fall and winter." It warns that too much gives "lush green growth at the expenses of flowers."
• Temperature. NYBG rests the orange species "around 55˚ F. day and night" from November through February, about 13°C. Without that rest, it says, "the plant will gradually decline." NC State and the Missouri Botanical Garden ask for 55 to 65°F at night, about 13 to 18°C.

NYBG's cool rest is written for the orange species. NC State says the white one "prefers temperatures between 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit", about 18 to 29°C. It "will not tolerate temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit", which is 10°C. Either way, NYBG keeps it away from heat vents, air conditioning and door or window drafts.

Humidity: Health Canada and the plant want different numbers

Health Canada says "Relative humidity should be maintained at 30-50%". Relative humidity, or RH, is how much water the air holds against the most it could. For winter, Health Canada's formaldehyde guidance says "keep the humidity at around 50% in the summer and 30% in the winter."

The plant would like more. NYBG says a bird of paradise "grows best in humidity above 50%". Health Canada's Relative Humidity Indoors factsheet has a warning for very cold weather: "your house may not be able to tolerate RH levels above 30% without excessive condensation on windows and other cold surfaces." Wet glass and window frames grow mould.

NYBG suggests a humidifier or a wet pebble tray, plus a simple hygrometer (a humidity gauge) so you know where you stand. If the glass fogs or drips, Health Canada says you may need to turn the humidifier down.

Why it hasn't flowered

NYBG says a plant missing "an important part of its care routine" won't flower, "including light, humidity, a winter rest and attention to re-potting needs".

Age first. NYBG says the orange species "will not begin to flower until it is about five years old". NC State says the white one "may take up 5 to 6 years before flowering." Wisconsin puts seed-grown plants at 4 to 7 years. Sources differ on splitting a plant. UF/IFAS Extension says a division of a Florida garden clump flowers in "one to two years". NYBG says divided houseplants "may take several years to resume a healthy floral cycle."

Light second. Wisconsin says "One of the most common reasons mature Strelitzia do not bloom well is insufficient light." The species "requires nearly full sun in the summer and as much light as possible in winter to bloom."

Then the pot. Wisconsin says plants "tend to bloom more profusely when pot-bound", meaning roots fill the pot. So don't rush to repot one that's about 3 feet tall. Replace the top soil instead, and repot in early spring only once "the roots have cracked open the pot". Don't plant it too deep, either.

The white species flowers only once it's mature. Wisconsin says S. nicolai can reach 30 feet and doesn't bloom "until the plants are quite mature". It calls the leaves "attractive enough on their own".

A summer outside, on GTA dates

Wisconsin says the plant "does best when moved outside for the summer". Harden it off first, letting it adjust to strong sun in stages over the week NYBG gives, or it can scorch. NYBG and the Missouri Botanical Garden put it in part shade. Here are GTA numbers for each source's test.

Frost is only the outer limit. Wisconsin's rule is to bring it in "before first frost", though it can take a short spell near 28°F (about -2°C). NC State moves it out "When temperatures rise above 70F", about 21°C, and the Missouri Botanical Garden gives the same mark. The table reads that against average highs.

NYBG sets the highest bar. It moves the plant out only "once night temperatures rise above 65˚F", about 18.3°C. None of the four stations' average July lows gets there. Downtown's 18.1°C comes closest. NYBG brings it back "in early fall when night temperatures are between 60 and 65˚F", about 16 to 18°C. Pearson's average low is 15.8°C in August and 11.6°C in September.

On a condo balcony, watch the wind too. NC State says the white species' leaves "are easily ripped or torn by the wind."

Pets, children and the name trap

The ASPCA lists the orange species under "Bird of Paradise Flower" as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Its signs are "Mild nausea, vomiting, drowsiness; caused mainly by fruit and seeds." The ASPCA entry titled plain "Bird of Paradise", though, is a different plant, Caesalpinia gilliesii. The ASPCA says the orange plant "should not be confused" with it, because that one is "more toxic".

The white species has no ASPCA entry. We read the ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic plant list under every letter, and "Strelitzia" appears only as the orange reginae. The ASPCA says that list is "not meant to be all-inclusive". NC State lists the white species as toxic to people, dogs, cats and horses, rates the severity low, and says to wear gloves because it can irritate skin.

If a pet eats some, call your vet or ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, the Ontario Poison Centre is 1-800-268-9017, 24 hours a day.

What GTA shops charge, by pot size

On September 28, 2026 we read the listings of 12 GTA garden centres and plant shops that sell a bird of paradise online with a price. Between them they had 60 priced listings, and 26 were in stock that day. Sold-out listings stay in the tables, marked, because the price is still the shop's own.

The 10-inch pot shows up most: 18 listings at 10 shops, from $69.99 at Sheridan Nurseries to $155 at Plant Society. The nine in stock ran from $69.99 to $130. At 10 inches, the white species' 11 listings have a middle price of $89.99. The four orange ones were $99.99 or $100.

Pot size is a loose guide to what you get. Promise Supply's white bird of paradise in a 10-inch pot was $75 at 2.5 feet and $115 at 4.5 to 5 feet. Its 3-to-4-foot size was on sale at $75, with the regular $105 crossed out, and its sold-out 5-foot plant in a 14-inch pot showed $250 against a crossed-out $325. So ask for the height, not just the pot.

The orange species is harder to find. It had 15 listings at six shops, but only three were in stock.

Poppies Plant of Joy and the Toronto Botanical Garden shop give no species or flower colour. Davenport Garden Centre gives a species or colour on just three of its ten listings. Sheridan's 4-inch plant is labelled with the white species' Latin name but sold as orange. That matters, because the two differ in height, cold tolerance and in the ASPCA's list. Only Urban Gardener prints "Excl. tax" beside its prices, and Sheridan's cart says "Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout". No other shop says, next to the price, whether tax is in it.