This is a plant that I see all the time at work. It’s tough, looks good in the shade and has a really good pop of colour when flowering. Clivias belong in the Amaryllidaceae family. The name Clivia was first used with Clivia nobilis, the first of the genus to be named. The Kew botanist named the plant in honour of Charlotte Percy (née Clive), the Duchess of Northumberland (1787-1866). Miniata means cinnabar-red, in reference to the flowers.
This native of South Africa is an evergreen perennial with oblong shaped leaves to 60cm long. Flowers occur in umbels of up to twenty tubular to funnel shaped flowers. I see mostly orange flowers, but they can also be red and yellow. They are 5-7cm long and appear from late winter to spring/early summer here in Sydney. They grow to a size of 47cm tall by 30cm wide.
A lot of information will say that clivias need a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius in winter, but from my experience, they are happy down to around 2 degrees Celsius, if they in a sheltered spot. They are frost tender thoughts, so grow indoors in such situations.
If growing indoors, use a loam based potting mix with leaf mould an grit in bright filtered or indirect light. In the growing season, water frequently and apply balanced liquid fertiliser weekly until flower buds form. Water infrequently in winter.
Outdoors, prefer growing in a humus rich soil that’s fertile and well-drained, but can tolerate other soil. Ensure this is in partial shade. Plant close together as clivias like root restriction to encourage flowering. They resent root disturbance.
To propagate, sow seed when ripe in soil temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius or above. They can be decided in late winter to spring.
The only problem may be mealy bug, otherwise they are easy plants to care for. All parts of this plant have the ability to cause mild stomach upset if ingested. Sap can irritate skin.
Overall, I think this little perennial is a good plant to use for shady areas. It is a tough plant that looks great when flowering-the brightly coloured flowers add a great splash of colour, especially when mass planted.