Clivias

This is the Clivia houseplant that is blooming right now at the Jarvis Garden.  It one of few tender bulbs or plants that I take inside in the Fall, water all Winter, and put outside in the Spring.  This is #1 out of three

 The pot goes outside and located under the white walnut tree on the patio, in the shade.  Putting this plant in direct sunlight will burn the leaves in a day.  Here you can see the bud just starting to erupt from the center of the leaves.

  This is Clivia #3.

Clivia #2.

Clivia #1, the largest of the three plants.

Clivia #1 starting to put out color.

Clivia #1 opening up.

Clivia #1 today fully open.

 Today Clivia #2 is a bit behind, but that means that bloom time will last longer.

Clivia #2,  I gave to a friend last week.  I hope that she and her husband enjoy watching it blossom.

It may bloom only once a year, but this is a plant worth looking after during the Winter, so that you can see this in June.  Clivias have very fleshy roots, and they can become pot bound within a few years.  Two seasons ago, I teased these three apart from one pot, and gave them new soil and each a new plastic home.

The plastic pots retain water better which Clivias require.

Clivias send out bulb-lets, but those take several years before  blooming. The leaves may look like that of an Amaryllis, but the flower head is made up of multiple lily-like flowers in the deepest orange.  I do have another Clivia which is yellow in color, 

but it hasn't put out a bloom yet this year.  This is a photo that I took the first year that it was at the Jarvis House.  It did bloom last year, but it does it's own thing and isn't as predictable as the orange Clivias.