Question
Hi:

Thanks for taking my question!  I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we have a large bird-of-paradise in a raised bed in our garden.  It's gotten to big and unwieldy so we need to reduce the size of it.  How do you recommend going about it?  Division?  If so, how deep do we need to dig it out?  Would now be a good time to do it?  
Any suggestions on how to deal with this beautiful but way-too-big plant are appreciated.


Answer
Hi Tina, ok, easy to do, just cut down just at the surface, the taller shoots; as long as the rhizome is left intact then it will continue to send out new growth. To sum it up, prune it to your taste, but make sure you remove the entire shoot, for aesthetics, don't just cut back half way....the good thing is, you really can't hurt it as long as you don't damage the underground rhizome.  Nick