puglvr (9B) I am certainly no expert on Clivia, I obtained three seeds from a single large plant many years ago, and grew them to maturity. One of the seedlings never produced a bloom spike that would grow taller than the center leaves. The bloom spike would remain cramped between the two top leaves, and never open. After about three bloomings, I discarded this plant. The other two plants presented their blooms a bit better, so I continued to let them grow. I did not have a greenhouse at this time, and living in central SC, I had to bring them inside during the winter, where they received a bare minimum amount of water. These two plants grew very large over about three years, and filled the oversized pots they were planted in with baby plants. In the spring these plants would bloom in my basement window, and I would fertilize them and begin watering, and when the weather warmed, took them outside in partial shade. I would usually get a second bloom from most of these plants in late summer. Each year the bloomings became better- taller spikes, more, larger and better blooms-, until I finally had to repot. What a job, prying those plants and their big roots out of the pots they had been in for so long. I think I wound up with 10-12 plants, of blooming size, and left several smaller plants attached to the two adults.

All the above to say, that for me at least, a dry cool winter seems to make my Clivia's happy. The older the plant are, the better they seem to bloom. My plants seem to prefer blooming their best when they are root bound. I recommend planting in clay tapered pots, that are larger in diameter at the top. If you make the mistake I did that first time and plant your plants in pots with an inward curled lip, you may find it just as easy to break the pot to repot. I think I had to find my old Navy unofficial dictionary, and brush up on some words I had not used in a while. Be ready with pots to plant your new plants in, and make sure all your neighbors and friends see your plants in bloom, so you can have ready homes for your excess plants. One caution, if you keep your single plants all oriented the same way to the sun, the leaves will grow out as a fan, all in the same plane, opposite to one another. If you move the pots around on their benches, the leaves tend to grow out in a corkscrew pattern. I prefer the fan, you may prefer the corkscrew. Either way, the pot will soon fill with baby plants, and just be full of plants. Leaving the plants outside when they bloom, usually produces a nice crop of seed pods, and if you start planting seeds, you may find you need a greenhouse to support the crop. Seeds ripen a dull red color, and become soft. Each pod contains from 1 to 4 seeds.

Based on your photo I suspect you have about 2 weeks to blooming. Don't be upset if this first blooming does not meet your expectations. Patience is a valuable attribute in the plant business.

Bill

Thanks Bill, you've shared a lot of great information. I will not get overly excited with this first possible bloom spike. I will try to be patient (though) that is not a virtue I was blessed with LOL...Thanks again. "If" anything good happens I will update here. Appreciate it!

I have seen several of my clivia put up short spikes and they seemed stuck within the foliage. But as they have grown and expanded, the spikes will push higher and top off in clear view, if your plant has not bloomed yet it likely will do the same. adding to all the good info above, I have found clivia grown in 9a/9b area (just north of Gainesville FL) to be very forgiving about general culture and keeping it drier during winter.

Here are a couple of my plants, 2 years in my care , both from Monrovia and both now in ground.

Hi Bill, your Clivia are both absolutely gorgeous! I am waiting patiently for the flowers to push through. I'm guessing it will take a while a few more weeks maybe, but I do see some blooms emerging ever sooo slowly, so I am hopeful...I will post pics if and when it happens.

Thanks for sharing your pics

Puglvr, I can't take credit for either photo posted here by Ben (I wish I could, both are well grown plants). All my clivias have finished their spring blooming and have been placed outside for the summer. As I mentioned in my first post, all my plants originate from seeds off one plant, and are much the same color as Ben's first photo. yellow down in the flower with orange petal tips. I would love to obtain some seeds from other colored flowers to do some experimental breeding. Ben, I may try to talk you out of a couple of seeds off your yellow plant from your second photo, when they are ripe. I'll keep in touch. Photo of my plant below

lovely plant Bill, and they can be easily grown indoor....

Finally saw one bloom Lol...I think this is the best I'm going to get, the stem is non existent, just one flower poking out of the center. At least I've finally seen a flower from my Clivia, hopefully next season will be better, more like Bill's :o)

puglvr, Don't be too disappointed, there is a good chance your plant will grace you with another blooming before winter sets in. Give it a light feeding, put it outside if you can, in light shade, and watch it grow. The large area of cream color down in your flower developing to green is interesting to me. Most of the orange flowers with color in the center of the bloom are yellow in the center. There are green Clivias, and it is possible you have a hybrid with green in its background someplace.

Bill

Thanks Bill, fingers crossed I see another bloom late in the year, I've given it some light fertilizer and I have it outside in my screened in porch with no direct sun, but some bright light. Seems to like it in that spot seems healthy just reluctant to bloom till now.

I had a gorgeous clump of clivia that only bloomed once, and the spike didn't come up high. It almost was killed by snails, but I saved it by separating it. Three sections out of seven lived, including the largest plant. I gave away one and still have the largest and one smaller, but they've never bloomed. I finally have just given up on them. They're pretty plants all on their own, but obviously, they need something I can't give them. Someone said to put them into the ground and just cover them during cold snaps, but my ground holds water way too well for me to do that. They would rot out the first year. I left them outside in a sheltered place last year and just covered them and they came through with no damage. Fertilized them in March, and still no blooms.

Ben, I have mine in 50/50 potting soil and all purpose orchid mix. That's what I was told to put it in. I'll try giving it a bit more sun and see what happens next year, but if it doesn't bloom next year, I may just give it a new home with someone else. I've followed all the growing directions to the letter, and I just don't feel like it's ever going to bloom.

if you can, pls post a pic of plant...