Clivia miniate
Clivia originates from South Africa and like many Soutth
African plants adapts quite happily in Southern California. They are evergreen plants with strap-like
leaves. They like shade and are quite
drought tolerant. The plants in my
garden have grown for more more than 10 years.
They form plantlets around the base which can be divided in a year or two
and will bloom in 1 or 2 years. Left on
its own, a large clump will appear. In
these years, I have not observed any pests or disease. They are not frost tolerant, but can be
easily grown indoors and will flower with bright light.
Clivia flowers in late March or early April with multiple
clusters of orange, red or yellow flowers which are very attractive in the
shade. There are not many plants
flowering as brightly in the shade.
After the flowers, green berries are produced and in about a year turn red
(from orange-flower plants) and yellow (from yellow-flower plants) which add to
the colorful display. Several brownish
seeds are encapsulated in each berry.
The seeds can be planted which takes awhile to sprout and in a few
years, when there are approximately 12 leaves they will flower, too.
There are fancier colors of Clivia being developed such as
pink, peach or green which are uncommon and very expensive now. However, the yellow-flower Clivia was
uncommon 10 years ago and selling for ~300 dollars per plant. Nowadays, Home Depot sells the yellow-flower
form at a reasonable price. Maybe those
fancy-flower Clivia will become common in a few years.
There are also variegated forms of Cliiva with yellow or
white stripes that are very ornamental.
The yellow or white stripes really pop up in the shade. Mine have orange flowers, but yellow flowers also occur in variegated forms. An interesting fact of the variegated Clivia is
that the berries are also variegated.
Overall. Clivia is a colorful, low-maintenance plant that is
one of the best and indispensible plants for the shade in frost area.
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