You, yes you, can now own a piece of history, a direct descendant of a plant that sold for $950.00 back in 1994. This story is an enjoyable read - you can find the fascinating article here -
www.nytimes.com/19…/…/08/garden/article-047007-no-title.html
That's right fellow plant lovers, our Clivia breeding program started out with one of Sir John Thouron's original stock plants in 1994. Since then we've added bloodlines from superior, even brighter, clearer yellows with germplasm obtained from friends and other Clivia enthusiasts in South Africa, England, Japan, Belgium, Germany and several other countries. What we have now is a plant that requires UV sunglasses to view when in bloom! Just kidding, you can view it with your naked eyes once they've adjusted to the radiance of these brilliant flowers. What a treat to brighten your home on a cold, dreary, snowy January day. Well.........not just a day as these beauties will bloom for weeks!!!
And............their long, wide, dark green, almost succulent like foliage looks terrific in outdoor containers all spring, summer and autumn no matter where you live. If your garden happens to be in USDA Zone 9 or warmer, you can even plant them in the ground and leave them there all year round. Below you'll see images of Krista and Logan pollinating stock plants in our propagation greenhouse. This particular greenhouse is heated to only 45 degrees F, with temperatures diving down into the 30's on some blustery winter nights. The Clivia don't mind those low temps at all.
We've been so busy over the last few years that we haven't had time to repot more than a thousand Clivia from our 2014 crop which are still in their original 2" pots. They would have outgrown gallons by now - just look at the roots pouring out of the bottom of their pots.
So......... it's your lucky day, you can have up to a dozen of these lovelies at a very reasonable price.
I bite my tongue while saying that ANY plant "thrives on neglect". You've heard that catch phrase before, I'm sure. But growing Clivia is pretty "Idiot-proof!" In fact if you can't grow Clivia, the only plants you should be permitted to have in your life would be plastic or silk. Clivias are content in regular old houseplant soil and happily thrive in any sunny or shady spot in your home.
Clivia miniata is a member of the Amaryllis family and is named for Charlotte Clive Percy, Duchess Of Northumberland (1787-1866) who was Queen Victoria's governess. Clivia is native to woodland habitats in South Africa (Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces) as well as in Swaziland.