Plant-A-Day 2020 (Day 41) Clivia miniata “Miss Clivia”

Here is the plant that started the Clivia addiction–and it was a very long time ago. I’m not exactly sure when my brother first purchased this clone–possibly from Park’s catalog–but it was at least 40 years ago! I think that makes it the houseplant that has consistently been in our family the longest. He dubbed it Miss Clivia and we’ve kept the name going ever since.

I believe this plant is definitely a cultivar and not the straight species. The leaves are long and wide and the flowers are larger than I suspect the species flowers would be. However, the colors are very typical for Clivia miniate, with orange and yellow in a brilliant combination.

I will work to add photos of these plants that represent their size and vitality–“Miss Clivia” is robust, to say the least. I have a large rectangular pot with three divisions in it and then there are a few other seedlings off of her, as well, that (thanks to my labeling laziness) are impossible to find at this point.

Tim gave me a clone off of Miss Clivia about 25 years ago, I think…maybe longer. I love these plants because they are tough, don’t mind (actually LIKE) a cold spell in winter, and they put on a real show in the greenhouse in March/April. I pot them in a bark/soil mix and feed them when I remember through the growing season–not too much because they seem to do better when they are starved a bit (and they grow too big and too fast if they are fed too well).

My 2020 plans for Miss Clivia are to give them a spring cleaning and topdress with some good soil/fertilizer. If I get the time and energy, I should pot them on into bigger quarters. I’m not sure I’ll get there this year–but Miss Clivia won’t complain. She’s amazingly forgiving.