My current favored plant is the Clivia Miniata, it also known as Bush Lily, Coral flower or St John’s lily. It grows to a height of about 45cm in the shade of trees and shrubs.
With clusters of bright orange flowers rising among its leathery strap-like leaves it is an attractive and easy to grow plant worth a place in every garden.
The yellow form of the Clivia, (Clivia miniata ‘Lutea’) is unfortunately not as readily available.
It was revealed during a drought in Southern African in the 1980’s that this plant should not be overwatered, as it was at its most beautiful during these years without rain.
Cultivation
· Depth and spacing: Plant with the crown above the soil surface and 30cm apart.
· Watering: Water well in spring and summer but keep soil drier in autumn and winter.
· Frost tolerances: Clivia must be protected from frost – a verandah, the eaves of a house or a dense tree canopy are usually sufficient for temperatures as low as –5°C.
· Flowering time: Spring to summer, once the flowers are mature which will be in approx 3 years.
· Soil: Well drained, a pH 5.5-6.5 best suits Clivia’s.
· Aspect: Partial to full shade.
· Ideal temperature range: 15°C to 25°C.
· Pruning: Remove old leaves and stems.
· Fertilizer: A generous amount of slow release fertilizer applied regularly from early spring to mid-summer achieves maximum growth.
· Propagation: It can be propagated by means of seed, as well as vegetatively through offsets.
3 comments:
Your Clivia is pretty in orange. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I also have greenapplesgarden too and do much photography there. I see you like photo blogs. Stop into Green Apples and see.
I have a friend who has this as a houseplant and it does very well. It is nice to see it outside...very beautiful.
Mine are looking desperately sad. The yellow one in a pot is OK. But I need to remember - feed and water in spring and summer.
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