Bird of paradise (strelitzia nicolai, or BOP as we like to call them!) are stunning plants with tall stems and wide banana-esque leaves. They are a fabulous statement plant. 

Given nice light, repotting yearly etc. you could expect these plants to grow around a foot a year. Indoors, they reach a max height of about 2.2 - 3 metres tall. 

Light: They are sun lovers, and if given a couple of hours of sunshine a day it is among our favourite easy care plants. Will grow best in bright, indirect light. They can cope for some short periods in partial shade but long term they want sun sun sun all the way. 

Water: Water it when the top 1 -2 inches of soil has dried out to be light and crumbly. In the autumn and winter, it's ok to let the soil to dry out a little more. Add a liquid houseplant feed to your water every 3-4 weeks in the spring and summer. 

BOPs don't always flower when kept indoors and their leaves can tear a little bit on the edges naturally, which is nothing to worry about. Mildly toxic if ingested. Originates from Southern Africa.