It came from a sweet little lady I used to do garden work for. She asked me to overwinter it for her one year and offered the offset to me as a thank you. The mother plant came from White Flower Farm, no way I would have paid that much for one! I'd love to have a variegated Clivia- those are so gorgeous!

I have an unheated room with big windows where I overwinter Brugs, Geraniums, and other tropcicals that go dormant or semi-dormant. The year I overwintered the Clivia in there, it bloomed beautifully the following spring, so that's where they're residing now.

Do any of you know if they enjoy being crowded? Other amaryllids seem to bloom better when crowded, and I'd love to see these eventually form big, thick clumps.

Firstly re: crowding: I had one about 10 yrs ago, a Clivia, and it formed two bulbs and I left them alone. Only repotted as needed. Both bloomed at about the same time and to me it was a sight to behold as I'd never seen the likes. Again, a lady liked it and I divided it and gave her one bulb. Both did as well in separate pots as in the one pot. I just find them so hardy and forgiving.
I refuse to pay White Flower Farm prices. Too high and the quality is no better than from other places.
How lovely of the lady to give you the clivia AND a variegated one at that. I've never seen a variegated one in real life.
Lee

Ah, good to hear! Mine are both green leaved varieties, but I have seen variegated ones before. Those are pricey anywhere I've seen them offered.

Neal, I think I found a cure for the flower stalk not getting tall enough. When I see the flower buds starting, and they're stuck way down in the foliage, I give the plant a nice big drink, I mean, really soak it! That's usually enough to make the stalk shoot up higher to give you good blooms.

Interesting info, Susan. I noticed that some years, the blooms are quite low and nestled in the leaves. Will have to try that. I am lucky in that clivias can grow in the ground without any special care here. Have not found any reasonably priced yellow one, so all I have are the orange ones.

Susan, what kind of conditions do you provide for them in winter? I'm keeping mine cool and on the dry side.

Mine are in a greenhouse that can get very hot if it is a sunny day, and is about 50 degrees at night. I don't water mine very often. Some are out in the open, and some are under banana plants so they get more shade. They really get a lot of abuse, really, poor things.
Here's a photo of 2 blooming, look at all the dust/dirt on the leaves! Someday I'll put down gravel on my dirt gh floor.


Here's a photo of one that I caught trying to flower down in the leaves. Gave it a big drink of water and the stalk came up just fine. Dianne, all of mine are in pots but I'm sure it would work on the ones planted in the ground, too.

Thanks, Susan for the reassurance on their resillience. This is my first winter with mine. I'm overwintering one in the garage, another in a friends sunroom, which she heats only when it gets really cold. I am nervous and dying to see blooms on them.

It seems like a garage would be a little cold for them. They do make really good houseplants, they just sit quietly in the corner... lol

Susan, even in zone 8 you think a garage may be too cold? Do you know how cold they can tolerate? It gets pretty chilly in that unheated room. I did lose some Coleus in there one winter, but we had had an ice storm that knocked out our power for 8 days too, so it's not the norm for it to be that cold in there. The Coleus were the only things I lost, and come to think of it, the orange one was in there that year. I would like to have a better idea of what's risky, though, just in case I get over confident and kinda lazy some future fall, when I'm dreading dragging everything back in, LOL.

I read info from a couple of sources saying Clivia like a cooler, dryer period in winter, and that promotes flowering. Have you found this to be the case?

I don't know... how could would it get in there? I would think anything under 35 would be bad. Really, I have no idea how much cold they can take, but I was under the impression they like it warmer- I thought I had read 50 or above, but maybe that isn't right.

I'm not sure what promotes flowering. I think it is the age of the plant. When I lived in WI I had mine outdoors in the summer and down in a basement under fluorescent lights all winter. I didn't have the number of flowers I have now, the plants get more light but they are also much older. Some of mine are also severely root bound as well, with roots coming up out of the soil and one that actually split a pot down the side!

Bravo Lakesidecalla!!! Beautiful clivias. Lee

Susan, this lady here in zone 8a keeps hers in the garage all winter and takes it outdoors in the spring. She says that it blooms reliably each year. That's where I got the idea that it's safe to keep it there. I also heard that they need a cold, dry period to trigger blooming and that it needs between 6 to 8 pairs of leaves to be of flowering size. I kept mine outdoors until frost threatened and then put them in the garage for a few more weeks of chill before I brought one indoors & took one to a friend's unheated sunroom. I am keeping the third in the garage all winter to compare blooming results.

Susan, do you keep your Clivias at regular room temperature during the winter? I had a hunch they liked to be somewhat rootbound for good blooming, several from the Amaryllis family seem to prefer that.

Deb, when do yours typically bloom? I'm curious if the cool period followed by indoor temps will promote earlier flowering. Sounds like you're doing some experimenting, and wondering how you've overwintered them in the past.

No, mine are in a greenhouse that can get 100 or hotter on sunny days and down to 50 or so at night.

Lee, you have to take a closer look, to see they're covered with dust!

Sorry, Neal this is my first winter with my clivias. That's why I'm experimenting to find the right conditions to get them to flower. I'm trying to gather as much info as I can. Susan, I'm surprised that your plants continue to prosper/bloom with all of that dust on them.

Deebie, you may have hit the right combination, because that cool/warm works for other flowering plants, I know. I hope it doesn't sound like I was being a know it all, or telling you what to do, I wasn't, just concerned they might get too cold. I had hundreds of Calla lilies in pots and had them inside a pole barn one year- and lost them all, and it was heartbreaking!

My greenhouse has a dirt floor, I burn a wood stove in there to help with the heating costs, and I have a fan on all night and sometimes during the day. Between all that, it does get the plants pretty dusty by spring. Just shows how tough Clivia can be!

Susan, I missed the dust as I was so enthralled with the beauty. But, anyway, what's a little dust? Between the dust and cat hair here, it's the usual state of affairs.
Do keep up your postings as they are beautiful and make me nostalgic. If it weren't for all these orchids, I'd get another clivia. Maybe, in the future, and I can save a little, I'll get another one or two and remember the beauty of growing my own. Lee

Susan, thank you for being concerned and for the insight. I'm sorry to here about your callas. I will keep an eye on the clivia in the garage, and will bring it in when temps get below 45. Last year, we had close to a week of nighttime temps in the teens. That was a rare occurance. I will be hearbroken if I lost it. I'm here to learn and you and everyone here have been so helpful. with Lee, keep up the posts and the photos. The blooms are gorgeous and inspiring.

Susan, you didn't sound like a know it all- just sharing your experience, a good thing That's terrible losing all those Callas! A lot of plants can take colder temperatures when they are dry than when they're moist. I'm curious if a combination of cold and moist did those Callas in. I think of Callas as being quite a bit hardier than Clivias, I've had good luck overwintering them in the ground.