A TANGERINE DREAM
Cheery clivias are the ideal indoor plants to brighten up winter days
SOUTH Africa has by far the world’s richest flora. A mind-blowing range of trees, shrubs, herbs and bulbs flourish in bushland, fertile plains, forest, semi-desert and the sea shore. Even in the darkest forest, there are treasures that thrive and flower in the shade. Notable among those are clivias or Natal lilies. These are sturdy perennials with shocks of dark strappy leaves and in late winter or spring, big orange flowers.
I’ve seen clivias in deepest shade and even sprouting from rock crevices. Alas, they’re not quite hardy enough to live outside here in the UK. But they make fabulous house or conservatory plants and will flourish, even in low light. The large, showy umbels of gorgeous tangerine blooms pack a massive floral punch between February and May. The handsome, hollygreen leaves stay fresh and green all year.
That, plus low-light tolerance, makes clivias valuable houseplants — and indoor greenery is good for us. Nowadays, it is well understood that sharing our living space with plants has a therapeutic effect.
Conversely, plant-less homes or office environments can increase stress. So if you have space but light levels are low, Clivias make an excellent choice. Their foliage is luxuriant, attractive and durable.
They’re also easy to manage and simple to propagate.
THE common wild Clivia miniata is the easiest to grow. It has large funnel-shaped flowers, carried on durable stems. If the plants are well-grown, flowers are held well above the foliage.The soft amber-orange petals contrast beautifully with the leaves. Each has a paler throat and though most are scentless, some forms have a gentle fragrance.
Young clivias are widely available. Garden centres frequently offer them, as do mail-order suppliers. There are also named varieties in different colours – mostly yellow or cream. But be cautious if shopping online.
When I typed ‘Clivia miniata plants’ into the Amazon website, up came a mix of luridly coloured freaks. Some were cobalt blue and one picture showed a stem with flowers in a lurid rainbow mix. Such things are genetically impossible.
So buy from reliable sources. Seed and plant specialists such as suttons.co.uk and dobies.co.
uk offer attractively potted, mature Clivia miniata plants.
Specialist grower Hoylands — at somethingforthegarden.co.uk — supply bronze or yellowflowered clivias, as well as the common orange.
BUYER BEWARE
OLD FRIENDS
CLIVIAS are plants for a lifetime. My current one was an impulse purchase from Homebase, 16 years ago. Since then it has been brutally divided several times. It grows in a cylindrical terracotta container that sits on a wide, east-facing window seat in our kitchen.
Apart from morning sun, the plant receives little strong light but seems to love the partshade. I grow it in general purpose potting compost boosted with slow-release feed granules. Those are applied in February and again in midsummer.
You can move clivias outdoors without risk, between May and October. They prefer partial or full shade and will need regular watering. They flower more profusely if you don’t re-pot them too often.