Clivia
Also called Bush lily, Boslelie, Kaffir lily.
| Light | part shade |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 10 days in the growing season, every 30 in winter |
| Pets | Cats toxic, dogs toxic |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Kaffir Lily entry.
Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. Toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The principles are lycorine and other alkaloids, worst in the bulb, causing vomiting, drooling and diarrhoea, with tremors and heart rhythm problems after a large amount. Keep it where an animal that eats houseplants cannot reach it, and speak to a vet if one does. In South Africa telephone the Poison Information Helpline on 0861 555 777; in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.
Clivia grows wild on the forest floors of the eastern side of South Africa, in shade so deep that almost nothing else flowers there, and that is the plant to keep in mind. It wants no direct sun, leafy soil that drains, and a pot it has outgrown. In South Africa it is planted through the spring months, appearing on the September list, and clumps are split after flowering. In the north it is a conservatory or house plant, set outside in the shade for the summer from April and brought back under cover before the frosts. The flowering trigger is a cool dry winter. Cut the water from late autumn, keep it around ten degrees for a couple of months, and the flower stem comes up between the leaves in spring.
Ailments observed
| It will not flower | No cool dry rest over winter, or a plant that has just been divided. Stop watering from late autumn and keep it cool for about eight weeks. A divided clump commonly takes two or three years to flower again. |
|---|---|
| Holes chewed in the leaves | Lily borer, a striped caterpillar that tunnels down into the crown. Cut out and destroy the tunnelled leaves as soon as the ragged holes appear. Left alone the grubs reach the base and the plant collapses. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner
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