Yellow clivias (shown left) were once uncommon and pricey. They are now more prevalent and less expensive. Below, Zhang Yaoyu of Shenyang, China, displays 300 blossoms on his 14-year-old clivia.
A “clivia prodigy” was Victor Murillo of Fallbrook, California. Growing up in the nursery business, he became early fascinated with South African plants with orange flowers. At the age of 13, he started breeding them.
His network of contacts in the clivia world expanded along with his passion. He traveled, went to conferences, and communicated with professionals and enthusiasts.
Mr. Murillo, who is now in his 30s, has developed a number of new kinds, built a collection of 10,000 clivias, and gained a name among breeders and collectors all over the world.
His professional life has paralleled the rise in acclaim for the vibrant, spectacular plants.
Similar to its more well-known sibling, the amaryllis, clivia features tall stalks, long, strap-like leaves, and trumpet-shaped flowers. However, clivias have umbels, or rounder flowerheads, of very small, vibrant trumpets, unlike amaryllis.
Breeders have attempted to increase the size of those flowerheads, and Mr. Murillo claims that his goal is to produce “basketball-size umbels.
Botanists have only discovered a few number of species of clivia, all of which are indigenous to Africa, since the first one was uncovered in the early 19th century. The most prevalent is by far Clivia miniata. It can reach a height of three feet in its natural state and blooms with orange or occasionally yellow flowers. The roots of the plants are strong and meaty, and they can withstand light shade.
They are excellent container plants and thrive when they are in pots, however they are not hardy in harsh winter climes. The plants can be grown indoors or in greenhouses by northerners, who can then move the plants outside during the summer months. Late winter or early spring is when clivia typically flower.
Although a typical Clivia miniata is beautiful, hybridizers like Mr. Murillo consider it as just the beginning of a breeding process that will produce a wide variety of new hues and forms.
The yellow-flowered hybrid clivia was the Holy Grail for top breeders in the final decades of the 20th century. They eventually succeeded, but the early yellows were pricey and rare, only being found in botanical gardens and rare-plant sales.
Prices have decreased and supply have increased during the last ten years. Some are now available for less than $50.
However, yellow was just the start of the search for better and more advanced plants. Leading breeders worldwide are still working to increase the color variety of clivia, add variegated leaves to the plants, and create individual blossoms with more than six petals each.
The most well-known clivia Murillo produced is Victorian Peach, one of numerous in the peach hue family. Pink-flowered varieties and those whose flowers are almost white are among his particular favorites.
Pure white is now not possible due to genetic limitations, but he has developed cultivars like Victor’s Green Boy, which is white with a yellow-green throat.
Despite his success, Murillo continues to run a home company while also working a “day job” in the nursery sector. His backyard or an on-site greenhouse is where he keeps the majority of his plants.
As soon as the plants are ready, new Murillo hybrids are sold to wealthy collectors in Asia, Africa, and North America. Additionally, he gives clivias to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and the garden at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
Although costs have decreased, clivias, which grow slowly, are still too pricey for the market for cut flowers. But when clivia growers adopt tissue-culture methods to create several clones, this might alter.
Although Murillo already collaborates with a single tissue culture facility in the United States, she claims that tissue culture is similarly expensive.
Murillo is still working on pastels and bicolors, but he also wants to build plants that are smaller, with flower stalks that are between 18 and 24 inches long, so they can fit in tighter areas. He expects that despite their shorter height, these plants will have the same big flowerheads and relatively wide leaves as their bigger cousins. He anticipates that some of those leaves will have different colors.
Murillo and many like him are therefore fascinated by clivia for one reason: beauty, he claims. Clivias, in my opinion, are 10,000 times more lovely than roses.
Culture and care of clivus Clivias need to be cultivated in shade when grown outdoors in containers. (In the sun, their leaves scorch.) Give them direct, bright light inside.
Some gardeners use orchid potting mixtures to cultivate clivia. Others favor a medium-coarse, swiftly draining commercial potting soil.
Water the plants lightly in the fall and winter to encourage the development of bloom buds. In the spring and summer, fertilize sparingly once a month.
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How is a clivia plant cared for?
Grow clivia in bright light but out of direct sunlight, away from hot rooms, and under cover in a frost-free location. Water the plant frequently in the summer but infrequently in the winter, when it should be “rested” in a cool location. Feed your plants in the spring and summer, and once the blossoming is done, deadhead. propagate in the spring from offsets.
Where to grow clivia
Grow clivia as a house plant in a heated greenhouse or conservatory throughout the winter. Clivia needs a minimum temperature of 5C, and at lower temperatures, it may be damaged by frost. Avoid placing clivia in warm, centrally heated spaces or next to heat sources like radiators or fires. Instead, place it in bright light that is not direct sunlight. If placed in a protected area away from direct sunshine, clivia can be carried outside into the garden during the summer.
Caring for clivia
The secret to getting clivia to bloom every year is to adjust watering according to the season and let the plant a “break” over the winter.
Water moderately but frequently over the summer to keep the compost moist but not soggy.
From November to March, give clivia a “rest” by keeping it chilly (at a maximum temperature of 10C) and giving it little water.
Feed the plant once a week with a regular home plant fertilizer after the flower spike is apparent and keep doing so until the end of the summer.
Once flowering is ended, remove the faded head and stem unless you want to collect seed.
Only propagate or repotted when absolutely necessary because clivia detests being disturbed. Though if not repotting, fresh potting compost should be added to the top 5-8 cm of the compost every year in the early spring.
How and when to repot clivia
Once the current pot is full of roots, clivia doesn’t need to be repotted. Only move up to the following pot size, increasing it gradually over time. Ultimately, clivia thrives in a good-sized pot of at least 20cm in diameter.
Use a high-quality, peat-free multipurpose potting compost with additional loam to repot in the spring only if necessary. Make sure the swelling root’s neck, which resembles a fleshy bulb, is above soil level.
How to propagate clivia
- Create new clivia plants from seeds or by removing offsets, or the outermost parts of the plant. The flowering time of propagated plants can be several years.
- When the berries turn red, gather and sow the seed. In warm conditions, sow seeds in small, individual pots made of moist seed compost; germination may take up to two months.
- Using a sharp knife, separate offsets in the early spring, checking to see if each has enough of roots, then pot up either one offset at a time or with other offsets in a large pot.
Growing clivia: problem solving
The majority of potential issues can be avoided by placing your clivia in the proper area and paying attention to watering. Sunburn, a lack of water, or frost can all result in brown spots, tips, or margins on the leaves. Always be careful not to overwater, especially if you leave the plant sit in water as this might destroy the fleshy roots.
On clivia, mealybugs can appear as white fuzzy patches on the leaves, especially in the leaf joints. Regularly check plants, and use cotton wool buds dipped in methylated spirits to get rid of tiny infections.
How frequently ought I to water clivia?
Clivia maintenance A clivia requires sporadic irrigation. One weekly watering is enough to keep the soil slightly moist. It is adequate to water plants once every two weeks during the winter.
Clivium—is it a houseplant?
You might come across clivia at your local garden shop or home improvement store around this time of year when you are starting to grow a little impatient for some plant action indoors. Clivia (Clivia miniata) is a low-maintenance indoor plant with strappy leaves and long stocks of flowers that bloom in late winter in citrus-hued orange or yellow. Unlike its relative the amaryllis, which grows from a bulb, it is evergreen and develops from roots. While forcing your clivia to bloom requires some effort, once you find your rhythm, it becomes rather easy. Purchase one now—it will bloom in March or April—and then heed the following recommendations to guarantee blossoms the following year. You’ll be overjoyed to display this beauty.
Is clivia a lily species?
Clivia, also known as a bush lily, is a classy flowering plant that works well as a substitute for other plants that bloom in the winter like azaleas, amaryllis, or holiday cactus. The dense clusters of 12 to 20 long-lasting, orange or yellow flowers are formed on top of a stout stem that protrudes from between a fan of evergreen, strap-like leaves.
This amaryllis family member and the more well-known amaryllis have a lot in common. Though they have a similar form to amaryllis flowers, clivia flowers are significantly smaller. While each flower only lasts a few days, buds continue to open one after the other, creating a beautiful show that lasts for several weeks.
The amaryllis-like long, strap-like leaves grow from a bulb-like base and alternate in a straight line across from one another. The mature plant can grow up to 3 feet tall and almost as broad, with symmetrical, formal silhouette as the leaves arch over one another. Clivia is regarded as poisonous because it contains trace levels of the alkaloid lycorine, which is toxic to many other amaryllids. Toxic effects require the ingestion of significant doses, though.
English scientist William J. Burchell discovered this small genus in southern Africa’s subtropical woods and bushlands for the first time in September 1815, close to the mouth of the Great Fish River in the Eastern Cape. Botanist John Lindley of Kew gave the genus its name in 1828 in honor of Lady Charlotte Florentine Clive, Duchess of Northumberland, who had grown the type specimen in England. The first species reported was Clivia nobilis, a pendulous-flowered type from coastal regions of the Eastern Cape Province. Early in the 1850s, the showier, trumpet-flowered C. miniata was found in KwaZulu-Natal. It swiftly rose to popularity as an indoor plant during the Victorian era and is now the most popular Clivia variety produced in the US. From the eastern Transvaal and KwaZulu-Natal Province to Swaziland, it is present.
In Zululand, a yellow variety of C. miniata citrina was discovered about 1888. Other pendulous-flowered species that were later described include C. gardenii from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Provinces, C. robusta from streams and wet areas that was previously confused with C. gardenii due to the similarity of the flowers, and C. caulescens from the eastern regions of Mpumalanga and Northern Province. C. mirabilis, a fifth species, was found in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape winter rainfall region in 2002.
This resilient plant is particularly suited to growing as a houseplant because it can thrive in both dry and moist soil, as well as in brilliant indirect sun or deep shade (it is hardy only in zones 9 and 10 in the US, where huge clumps are often seen in shaded areas of parks, gardens and residential plantings). Due to its substantial, water-storing roots, it is quite drought tolerant. In pots, root masses frequently grow to such a size that the plant and growing material are propelled upward and out of the container. Wait until the roots are quite congested before transferring the plant to a larger pot since clivia does best when its roots are little constrained. Anytime during the year is a good time to divide and repot them. Make sure each clump of the thick leaf fans has enough of roots before pulling or cutting them apart and potting them in a humus-rich, well-drained soil (or soilless mix).
They are typically found in deep to partial shade and growing in or even on top of very organic material in the wild. Clivia should be grown in areas with bright, diffused light, such as a bright north window, an east or west window that is shielded from the sun, for optimal results. They can be moved outside during the summer (in the shade or gradually adapt to brighter settings so they don’t burn), but they must be returned inside before it gets too cold. During the growing season, water often, but let the growing media get completely dry between applications. With a half-strength fertilizer solution, they can be fertilized every month. Mealybugs can be an issue since they like to hide in the little gaps between the leaves and may not be seen until the plant is seriously affected. Clivias generally have few pests. Root rots are likely to be caused by overwatering and moist circumstances.
The plants flower more readily when given a rest period of around two months in the fall and winter. They require at least a month of cool nights (below 50F but above freezing; they can withstand lows of approximately 36F), then 6–8 weeks of very little water (just enough to keep the leaves from wilting) and no fertilizing. Increase watering as the blossom stem develops, then bring the plant back to room temperature. Low light environments produce few flowers, but they nevertheless produce attractive foliage. If you don’t want seeds, cut the stalk off at the base once the blossoms have faded. In the event that the blooms are pollinated, a green, cherry-sized berry that slowly turns red over several weeks will be produced. To ripen, the seeds need almost a full year. Clivia can be grown from seed or by division. When a plant reaches maturity (3–4 years), it starts to produce one or more offsets annually. When they have three or four leaves, these can be cut off from the parent plant. Clivia can be grown from seed, but depending on the species or hybrid, it may take them three to five years to bloom for the first time and five to ten years or more to fill the entire container. After they have ripened, fresh seeds should be planted as soon as possible. Remove the thin membrane covering each seed, the big, pearly seeds, and the spongy pulp. Large seeds should be gently pressed into the seedling mixture in a deep seed tray until they are flush with the top. While some growers advise covering the micropore, others advise placing it on the growing medium. The micropore is the navel-shaped sprouting point where the root will emerge. Maintaining the medium evenly moist and warm, cover it and place it in bright indirect light (80o to 85o F). Clivia seeds take a long time to sprout; the seedlings won’t appear for several weeks. Make a hole in the media and carefully reposition the root underground if the roots start to emerge from the ground or if they force the seed too far out of the medium. Once the first leaf is fully established, start fertilizing roughly once a month because seedlings grow slowly and continuously. Before attempting to stimulate flowering, let the plants grow for 2 to 4 years or until they have at least 12 mature leaves.
It should come as no surprise that horticulturists and breeders were particularly interested in C. miniata, and soon after its discovery, numerous hybrids were created in England, Belgium, Germany, and other nations.
The most well-known hybrid is perhaps Clivia x cyrtanthiflora, which was developed in Ghent, Belgium in the late 1850s and is thought to be a hybrid of Clivia miniata and Clivia nobilis. A small number of committed individuals continued to breed and cultivate Clivia in South Africa, but currently the majority of this work is being done in Japan, China, and Korea, where many interspecific hybrids and selections have been grown. Instead than only breeding for the blooms, some breeders concentrate on the foliage, choosing plants for their leaf width, veining, and variegation. There are varieties with flowers that are near-white, dark red, peach, pink, and scarlet in addition to the typical orange flowers with yellow throats. Larger nurseries and garden centers may have clivia, but you will likely need to buy specific cultivars via mail. University of Wisconsin-Madison student Susan Mahr