Clivia (Bush Lily)

Clivia, also called bush lily, is an elegant flowering plant and a good alternative to other winter-blooming plants such as azaleas, amaryllis or holiday cactus. The orange or yellow, long-lasting flowers are produced in dense clusters of 12 to 20 flowers on top of a thick stem that pushes up from between a fan of evergreen, strap-like leaves. These are young plants and may not bloom for some time. Blooming picture is for reference only.

This member of the amaryllis family shares many common characteristics with the more familiar amaryllis. Flowers are similar in shape, but Clivia flowers are much smaller than the trumpet-shaped amaryllis flowers. While each individual flower lasts only a few days, buds continue to open in succession for a floral display of several weeks.

Allowing a rest period for about two months in fall and winter encourages the plants to flower. They need a minimum of a month of cool nighttime temperatures (below 10°C but remaining above freezing; they can tolerate temperatures down to about 2°C), followed by 6-8 weeks with very little water (just enough so the leaves do not wilt) and no fertilization.

Once the flower stalk appears, increase watering and return the plant to room temperature. Plants grown in low light rarely flower but still make nice foliage plants. When the flowers fade, remove the stalk at its base, unless you want seeds.