Can you post a photo of your
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) showing the developing "bud"? What you are seeing may actually be new leaf development. I've always heard that Strelitzia will not bloom until they are @ 5 to 7 years old but I'm used to seeing them growing in the ground here in Florida so I've never really paid much attention to how long it takes for blooms to form; maybe when they are crowded in a pot they will bloom sooner?
I never knew that you shouldn't let
Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) form a bloom, very interesting!
A plant that some confuse with Strelitzia reginae is the "False Bird of Paradise" or
Parrot's Beak (Heliconia psittacorum) which seem to bloom more abundantly than the Strelitzia.
