These tropical plants do best in Zone 10, though in Zone 9B you can grow them in a large containers that can be moved indoors during cold weather. Eye-catching and distinctive, the bird of paradise is a fairly easy tropical plant to grow indoors or out. Although a few lucky gardeners can place bird of paradise out in the garden, by and large, most growers keep them as indoor or patio plants. Plant care. The Giant Bird of Paradise has exotic grey-green leaves spanning as wide as 6' that are arranged like a fan at the top of the stems. The distinctive Strelitzia (bird of paradise) is one of the best known of all the tropical flowers and is a cousin to the banana.Surprisingly, the bird of paradise is easier to grow than many tropical plants. The plant is a vigorous, rapidly growing indoor plant. The hummingbirds are even having problems getting to the flowers! Pythium root rot, a fungal disease, can kill a bird of paradise if the conditions causing the infection aren't remedied. The bird of paradise is thought to be one of the most beautiful of exotic flowers, so it can be disheartening to have problems come up while growing the plant, like non-blooming. Add top soil or organic peat humus to the hole when you plant. Wet soil, either from poorly draining soil or overwatering, encourages the growth of the fungus and, once corrected, the plant should produce new roots to replace the damaged ones. White bird of paradise is a moderate grower to about 25 feet. The most common diseases are fungus based. This plant does fine in sun to partial shade. This is why Gardening Know How came to be – a desire to help fellow gardeners in their time of need, and that includes answering the gardening questions that plaque us all. Bird of paradise is one of the most unique plants American growers can get their hands on these days. Giant Bird of Paradise is used less for its flowers than its large, graceful, banana-like leaves. Mealybugs, scale and spider mites are the most common problems with bird of paradise plants. We have a Giant Bird of Paradise in the back yard. Use a horticultural oil spray or systemic insecticide. It has been there for over 25+ years. There is also another tree in the yard behind us, and it is a very large tree, taller then the BoP. We bought a house with four of the biggest "Giant Bird of Paradise" plants I've ever seen; they have approximately 20 or more blooms on each plant.