There is no white S reginae, are you sure you don't have the larger growing S. nicholai? Growing in containers will tend to restrain their ultimate size, but 24 inch box S. nicholai can still get quite large, tree sized in fact. A 15 gallon sized mature plant if grown with all the water and fertility it would prefer can still get to be 8 to 10 feet tall incoors.

I got this plant at Lowes and that is what the tag says. It appears to be the leaf of the reginae in the way that it's a bit more and a tad darker with just a hint of a bluish color. I really don't know unless it's tagged wrong.

This is one I am trying to clarify myself  the online material is confusing. There are two tall varieties of bird of paradise with white flowers:

Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta) - White bird of paradise
Strelitzia nicolai - Giant black bird of paradise; Wild banana

On some, the leaf hue is different  one is darker. The giant black gets larger than the White.

I have one, labeled Strelitzia nicolai, a grocery store plant, purchased last spring, about 3.5', sucessfully overwintered in a west facing sunroom, that gets pretty cold, 45-50, moved it outside about 3 weeks ago, it seems to appreciate it, it's about 5.5' now, & we've had a number of cool nights recently, but I left it out. I think I may need to repot, though, it's in a small pot...Thistle

I'm new to this site and can't seem to find the right forum, so I hope it's okay to join this thread. I bought a home (South FL) that has a large BOP outside. It apparently was the center attraction until Hurricane Wilma whipped it up pretty badly last year. There is a lot of new growth now but overall the plant looks very wild and unruly. There are the remains of 2 blooms (that never opened) as well. Does anyone know how to safely cut this plant back? I may also want to take it out of the front yard completely and rather than throw it out, I'd like to know if it would work well in one or more large containers (if I cut it back first?)to place inside the screened patio. Again, many thanks for any help!

Hi there andreacd!
I too am new to this forum thingy and its proving very useful. Whilst I cannot give you any advise on your BOP problem as I live back here in the 'usually chily UK' (although we are having a heatwave at the moment with roads melting and railway lines buckling with the heat, temps in excess of 90 degrees,phew!) I suggest you go to the 'Garden Forum' button then scroll down the list of forums listed by 'name of plant' and post a similar message again under the heading of 'TROPICALS' (as there appears to be no specific BOP forum) At the bottom of each 'TROPICALS' page you will see the heading 'Post a message to the forum' just type in your title....such as the one you used before where it says 'subject of posting' and type away in the box underneath...easy eh!
You see, with joining this thread you may not get the answers you want as your new title (BOP-can it be cut back?)is now listed and therefore 'hidden' under the thread heading called 'About that strelitzia'.....OK..get my drift..think that's correct anyway...it sounds right!!! By doing the above way, you will start a new thread, and hopefully get the answers you want! Good luck!
Oh, by the way, I have a regular strelitzia reginae, got it from the local superstores 'dead and dying trolley' a couple of years ago for £1.20, it was so pathetic I could have wept....its's now over 5ft tall and has 10 huge leaves....I just hope it will flower soon as we will have to make a hole in the bedroom floor as its will be through the dining room ceiling before too long at this rate of growth! Cheers and best of British with that huge BOP!!!. Greenclaws.

andreacd
"Wild and unruly " is the normal growth of WBOP lol i have been fighting with one for over 20 years . They clump
so no matter what you do it will require a large area . I try to keep mine at around 8 feet square. About the only thing you can do for hurricanes is cut them off at ground level.When it starts to "pup" pick the best and cut off all others at ground level. There really is no way to prune them.
I would never plant one anywhere near the house and defineitely not in a screen room and containing one in a pot is tough. An old clump will top 20 feet within a year
even with harsh pruning.
Would highly recommend S regina for pot culture in a screen room. Do a google on the family and find which types interest you and the growth habits.Be very careful to select the types that stay under 10 feet. Some of the florist types would be magnificent!!
Sorry to have hi-jacked the thresd but couldn't allow someone to make my mistakes lol.
gary

After having mine outside all summer, I moved it in before the first cold night- my boss (at the garden center), said I could cut it back, it's just under 6', since it fits in the sunroom, maybe I should just leave it alone?

After having mine outside all summer, I moved it in before the first cold night- my boss (at the garden center), said I could cut it back, it's just under 6', since it fits in the sunroom, maybe I should just leave it alone?

Thistle, I'd let it be and see what happens..If leaves suddenly look like they're dying, then remove that leaf from the base.
Here in Il, Birds take a long time to grow..I don't know about VA, but I'm thinking since you have longer summers your bird will frow faster, but by how much is the question..Toni

Thistle, if it were mine, I'd let it grow..They're so pretty when tall and full..plus, I'm thinking the more and bigger leaves, the better chance of flowering..Toni