New Clivias
Clivias (Clivia miniata) are being more widely planted now than ever before, because they are green and leafy year-round and they thrive in shaded spots. They can be grown in clumps, en masse, in a shady position beneath a tree, in pots or on the shaded side of the house. The late winter to spring, salmon-coloured flowers are an added bonus. Clivias are tough plants which grow in all but the coldest areas of Australia, but they must be protected from frost.
In our segment Don visited clivia grower David Bearlin, who has recently imported some of the very best new hybrids from Japan, Belgium, America and South Africa.Native to Natal, South Africa, clivias were named after Lady Charlotte Florentina Clive, Duchess of Northumberland, who was the granddaughter of Robert Clive, better known as Clive of India. David Bearlin says that the genus name Clivia should be pronounced as in the name Clive to rhyme with ‘hive’ (Clive+ia), but many other horticulturists pronounce it with a hard sound as in ‘liver’ (Cliv+ia).
Clivia hybrids have been developed with flowers in a range of autumn shades from creams through to pale yellows, apricots, salmon pinks and bright reds, and these are much sought after by collectors. In fact, enthusiasts are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for cream or yellow plants in flower or near ready to flower. These are usually plants that have been divided from a flowering plant, so they are guaranteed to be cream or yellow. Some varieties grow true-to-type from seed, but you have to be prepared to wait a few years for flowers (seeds for cream and yellow clivias cost around $5 each and will take five years to flower). Cream and yellow cultivars cost around $100 for plants in flower, and the red ones (called Belgian Hybrids) are priced at around $50 in flower. The high prices reflect the time clivias take to reach flowering size.
Among the new varieties are some with variegated foliage. These may be more disease prone than other clivias and are also very rare and hence very expensive. One Don showed on the segment had wide, cream striped leaves and a clear pink flower. It had a price tag of $1500 as it is so rare and hard to come by.
Further information
Look for potted clivias at your local nursery, or contact The Digger’s Club at Dromana, Vic, phone (03) 5987 1877. Bulk seed can be ordered from:
Royston Petrie Seeds Pty Ltd
PO Box 77, Kenthurst, NSW 2156
Phone: (02) 9654 1186
Fax: (02) 9654 2658
Email: [email protected]
Clivia Society of Australia
President: Bryan Paten, phone (03) 9803 3446 or 0429 430 640, email [email protected]
or Pen Penry, phone (08) 9405 1027, email [email protected]