Water wise clivia make a spring show
SPRING FLING: PERFECT TIMING FOR LILY
The moment it starts to flower, spring has officially arrived.
Does an early warm spring mean that another hot dry summer is on its way? With city water tariffs going up and talk of extending water restrictions, the next few months don’t bode well for gardeners.
It makes sense to increase the range of drought tolerant plants in the garden and a sure winner is the spring flowering indigenous Clivia miniata. Its timing is perfect; within the past week plants have burst into flower.
From a distance all clivia look orange but take a closer look and discover a surprising variety; blooms with yellow or green throats, different shapes of flowers and a wide range of colours from pale peach to bronze red.
Being originally forest plants, they thrive in shade, especially under the dappled shade of trees, and require very little attention, just regular watering during extended dry spells. Five water wise ways to use clivia:
Use in areas of dry shade under trees. They do not need to be planted deep as long as their roots are in well composted soil mixed with lots organic material, like dead leaves.
Plant them alongside other drought-tolerant shade lovers, such as delicious monster, aspidistra, bromeliads and philodendron.
Replace water-guzzling lawn on a shady pavement with clivia planted en masse. It will bring traffic to a halt in spring.
Clivia are ideal for areas with good light but limited direct sun, like the south side of a house. They can be planted in a bed under a window for a colourful outlook in spring. The roots are not invasive so won’t affect the foundations or cause damping.
Use them to soften boundary walls that are shaded by trees and where little else grows. Where to find clivia: The best time to buy clivia is when they are in flower, otherwise one clivia looks very much like another one. Most garden centres stock plants but for a really good variety it is worth visiting the Joburg Clivia Club’s annual show at Garden World next weekend, September 10 and 11. Clivia enthusiasts and breeders have clivia for sale and are happy to advise would-be clivia growers. It is a good place for bargains, as well as obtaining rare, collectable plants. Growing know-how: Don’t plant too deep and space plants 50cm apart. Hollow out a shallow area, and work plenty of organic material such as unsifted compost, milled bark or leaf mould into the soil. Add bonemeal or superphosphate to feed the roots. Water well to settle the roots and cover the soil with humus-rich mulch which should be renewed regularly. When raking up autumn leaves just spread them around clivia clumps. Apply granular fertiliser (5:1:5 or Vigorosa) at the beginning of spring, again in January and finally in March. From October onwards eliminate black and yellow banded caterpillars that kill the plants by spraying with Garden Ripcord or Margaret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide.