Clivia Belgian Hybrid

Clivia Belgian Hybrid (Clivia miniata Belgian Hybrid) is the answer to the hardest spot in most gardens: dry shade under established trees. It forms a neat evergreen clump about 60cm tall and 60cm wide, then lifts heads of deep orange trumpet flowers above the strappy foliage in late winter and early spring, when little else in the shade is doing anything. Once settled it competes with tree roots and needs very little water.

Why you'll love it

• Real flower colour in shade. Heads of orange trumpets in late winter and early spring, where most plants give you leaves and nothing else.
• It handles dry shade. Thick fleshy roots hold their own moisture and cope with competition from established trees.
• Tidy every day of the year. Broad dark green strappy leaves at about 60cm by 60cm, evergreen, with no bare dormant period.
• It improves with age. Clumps thicken and flower more heavily each year, and divide every four or five years for free plants.

Where it works best

Mass planting and edging under trees. Plant 40cm apart. The clumps knit into a continuous evergreen carpet in two to three seasons, and the even 60cm height stays reliable along a shaded path.

Pots and small gardens. Clivias flower better slightly crowded, so a pot suits them: one plant in a 300mm, or three in a 400mm.

A caution for pet owners. All parts contain lycorine and are toxic to cats and dogs if eaten, so this is not the plant for a bed a puppy digs in.

Growing clivia in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade to full shade, with protection from afternoon heat, since exposed sun yellows the leaves. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and tolerates light frost only, so in hard frosting districts plant beneath a canopy or in a pot that moves under cover.

Soil. Free draining, enriched with compost and leaf litter. Planting depth is the critical detail: set the crown at or just above soil level, never buried, and keep mulch pulled back off it.

Water and feed. Moderate water through spring and summer, then noticeably drier from mid autumn through winter. That cool dry spell is what triggers the flower buds. Feed a controlled release fertiliser once the flowers finish.

Pruning. Cut each flower stem out at the base when the last trumpet finishes, and remove damaged leaves at ground level. Leave the clump undisturbed otherwise, since root disturbance costs a season of flowers.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in five sizes: tube stock, 140mm pots in packs of ten, 175mm and 200mm in packs of six, and 250mm in packs of three. Clivias are slow, so size matters. Tube and 140mm plants are seedlings needing three to four years before the first flower, while 200mm and 250mm plants usually flower in their first or second season.

Fleshy roots and thick leaves make them good travellers, and a marked outer leaf after transit is normal. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect a month of stillness, then new leaves from the centre, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Shop plants that thrive in full shade
• The best ground cover plants for shaded gardens
• Compare plants suited to mass planting
• Low growing ideas for garden borders

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a mass planting?

Forty centimetres apart. Close enough for the clumps to meet within two to three seasons, open enough that each plant widens into a proper crown.

Why is my established clivia not flowering?

Usually water in winter, or heavy shade combined with heavy feeding. Ease right off the water from mid autumn and give it a cool dry rest, and it will set buds for late winter.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Clivias contain lycorine, toxic to cats and dogs if eaten and the cause of vomiting and drooling. Choose a bed your pets do not dig in, or grow it in raised pots.