The Clivia Lily is native to Africa and was brought to England in 1854, where it was named to honour Lady Charlotte Clive, Dutchess of Northumberland. It is a member of the amaryllis family and the English used it as a parlor plant for many years until it was discovered that it could grow quite nicely in temperate climates in dry shady areas. Once it matures in reproduces in the form of new plantlets around the base and quickly becomes quite large and flowery.
The orange clivias at our house were there when we moved in on both sides of the front door. I don't remember them the first year, they must have been out of bloom when we started looking at the house. But the second year I certainly was in for a shock when these shockingly bright orange flowers the size of cantaloupe opened up! After all, I am more of a pastel roses and pansies type of girl! But not being one to disregard any huge contribution to the flora and fauna, etc, etc, I went out and bought some stately bright blue delphiniums that stood about three to four feet high and put them in pots next on the porch by the front door, next to the clivia. I cut off any flowers that had pink or magenta blooms and told them the were going to have to wait about a month or so until they could come out again and filled pots with blue and white annuals that could bridge between the shocking orange of the clivia and the cool tones of the lavender and pinks that usually dominated the yard.
I have since come to appreciate this plant the grows so quitely with little or not care and I have planted at least a dozen more yellow ones in the back garden where I always have problems with dry shade and finding anything that will add color and brighten up those areas. They even grow and bloom way down under the silver dollar eucaliptis tree where the clivia is planted almost on the trunk of the tree! When it blooms you can see it from half way up the garden!
I cut them and put them in arangements or just a single one standing in a frog alone like a topiary tree with orange or yellow blossoms.
Orange Clivia
"Do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa