Kaffir Lily (Clivia Miniata)

[LiddleBuddha]

Hello All!

My girlfriend and I were at a nearby greenhouse last weekend. They had some beautiful Kaffir Lily plants. We were tempted to get one, but we were put off by their $45 to $85/ea price tag.

Does anyone know of a good mail-order source for Kaffir Lily plants, and/or the seeds/bulbs? (I don't even know if they're bulb plants, sorry.) We don't even care if they are baby plants or full grown. Also, would this be a good time of year to purchase one?

We really liked the ones with orange colored flowers with the dark green, fan-like opposing leaves. They're freakin awesome!

Thanks so much in advance!

[Newt]

The Clivia is a South African plant. Some are relatively inexpensive and I've seen some offered for $175.00 or more! They can take 5 to 7 years to bloom from seed and are grown indoors in cold climates. There are several societies around as well. Here's some handy links in case you are 'bitten by the Clivia bug'.
https://www.northamericancliviasociety.org/home.php
https://www.cliviasociety.org/index.htm

This site explains how to grow them and start them from seed.
https://www.shieldsgardens.com/info/CliviaInfo.html

You could use this site to check for references for mail order nurseries, search by state or country and by plant material.
https://davesgarden.com/gwd/

Newt

[LiddleBuddha]

Newt,

Thank you so much for that info and for those fantastic links! I'm definitely bitten by the Clivia bug. hehe...

I really appreciate all your feedback and help!

Best Regards,
LB

[Newt]

LB, you are very welcome! Now don't blame me if the grocery budget get's spent on clivia!!

Newt

[LiddleBuddha]

Hi Newt!

I finally got a little more time to delve into the links you posted. Wow! Tons of really great info!

I actually almost made an impulse Clivia buy at the nearby nursery/greenhouse. But believe it or not, I didn't give in! hehe.. But...

After doing a bit of research I've decided that I think I'm going to buy a Clivia(s) at the end of this week. However, I'm a bit torn.

The nursery near us, has several varieties. I would probably buy just one of the smaller $45 orange Clivia plants, and see how it goes. The ones at the nursery are quite beautiful and appear to be very healthy.

I'm also considering buying from here though...
https://www.aaronscanna-amaryllis.com/clivia/index.html

At the above link, Aaron's Bulbs, there is a $50 minimum order, so I'd need to buy 3 small plants or 2 larger plants.

Have you had much experience purchasing a plant such as the Clivia through mail-order? I'm just not sure what to do and I'd really like to my initial Clivia purchase to be a positive one!

Thanks!
- LB

[LiddleBuddha]

Woohoo! I purchased 4 Sahin's Twins Clivia Miniata seeds today. Woohoo!

I decided it'd mean a little more to me to grow a Clivia Miniata from seed to full grown, than to just buy one that is already full grown/flowering.

The other thing is that I think I'd feel less crummy if the seeds don't work out ($9.00 total), than if a $45 plant doesn't work out.

Maybe I'll buy a flowering plant one day anyway, if I really feel the need for a quick fix. But I think I'll be able to wait the 3 - 4 years for the seeds to grow into a flowering plant.

Now I must look up/research how to germinate, etc... Wish me luck!

[Newt]

Great news! Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Good luck!!

Newt

[LiddleBuddha]

Hey Newt,

Sorry for my delayed reply. So far so good with those seeds. Although one of them came with some fungus on it. I cleaned them all very well and they've been in the germination containers for about a week and a half now. Keeping our fingers crossed.

In the meantime I couldn't resist and I purchased a 13 month old seedling for only $10. It seems healthy and we're hoping it lives happily at our house. When the weather warms up I'll be able to put it on the front porch where it will get good light, but lots of shade, which is good. Should do well outside.

I'll let you know how it goes, and I'll post any good pictures as the plants develop.

Thanks again for everything!

Best,
- LB

[sugarfree]

Sory to bring up an old topic discussion, but I don't want to start a new one while it's already discussed.

I'm thinking of planting some clivia-miniatas under a palm trees infront of the house, just to break up the barreness of the area. So, I would like to plant around the circumference of the 'mature' palm, about 2-3 mtrs high (sory, no feet around here).

Now, the question is, how far apart do I have to space each clivia to the other? Also, how much space do I have to give the palm? I don't want to 'choke' any or both of them. Also, how tall and wide the clivia can mature? And how long?

If I buy them from a seedlings (thx god they're around nz$7 to 10 per each), can I just transfer them straight to the ground? What sort of ground work for preparation for clivias?

I also notice that clivia produce some sort of toxin, can't remember what it's called on top of my head now. But, how dangerous is it for human being? for other plants/grass? and also for the soil??

Thats all for now. Sory for the amount of questions I've asked....

[evtubbergh]

@sugarfree Clivias are awesome and very hardy. They don't mind their roots being disturbed and even the shallow roots of the palms are probably not a problem, although the further you plant the better for both of them.

They are shade plants though and while good light is needed to flower they should not be planted in anything but morning sun or dappled shade.

Use compost in the soil before planting, even slightly acidic soil but they are not fussy. Make sure it is very well drained, especially if you water anything else around there. You can feed with a fertiliser high in potassium near flowering time and with a general fertiliser at other times.

The plants should be cold for about 3 months (I think but you should Google it) and not watered during that time. Also don't water too much during the growing period either as they prefer fairly dry conditions.

Look here for more https://www.cliviape.co.za/clivia_faq.htm