HOLY CROW! Now that's a Clivia!!!!! What is the trick to growing by seed? I'd like to get one of the variagated ones....but some of them are a tad pricey, and I'm afraid to order on eBay at this time of year.....

Yah, I'll take babies Komi....did you start yours from seed too? Lord, I really have to get on the seed bandwagon....

They're not mine, actually, and I haven't seen them yet. (I'm just the placement person.) Not sure if shipping seedlings this time of year is viable.....

Now, any gesneriads you're looking for?

sure....I think I told you I lost all my episcias during the great "I'm going nuts about moving and can barely water my plants" episode.... I'm down to two gloxinia seedlings, and no streptocarpus. :) Hey, I'll take un-named wonders that you and Breezy have cooked up....of course my husband may leave me...lol. I've got a funny story to tell you about Feast of (for?) Crows. . . . I had to order it again...rather than forward it, they returned it to Amazon (don't ask me why the amazon address correction never took place), so I ordered it again with Hedge Knight and guess what.....because I ordered it together I get to wait until January again because Hedge Knight is back ordered! That's ok...I've got more than enough to keep me busy at the moment...I'm slogging my way through a couple of books...and avoiding doing more painting......ick! I have purple hair (at least one spot) from my daughter's closet....

ack. my offer to ship my copy to you still stands. It's sitting here on a pile of papers on my office floor.....

I'll see how sturdy the clivia seedlings look and check the weather. It might be safer for me to hold on to them until spring though. (Although since I've never grown clivia, maybe not.) And I'll root some episcias for you and some random other stuff - I'm pruning and repotting in the next month so the timing is good. FYI, my strep collection is pitiful - just some seeds of strep species that I've sown.

purple hair! I vote for keeping it through the holidays!

Clivia are easy.....during the winter, they don't need much water....and they like it coolish....at least the adults do. I've never done babies, but they're tough.

Well, today I'm painting the bathroom an olivy green color and the living room a light gold....so I may be a very colorful person...at the moment I'm priming so I have white spots...

Kev, that's some Clivia you have! I love Clivia, especially the Chinese (or Asian?)Clivia, a lot more compact and very pricey! Apparently, you can just leave them to multiply in the same pot? does yours flower? I have one, nothing like yours, but it had 2 "little ones" last year. Someone told me I need to separate them and put them in a different pot, otherwise the mother one won't flower??? I did, and of course it died!!!
cat80

by the way, Michigoose, I'm so busy "admiring" Kev's Clivia and forgot what I'm really here for... I got mine at HD around this time of the year, a couple of years back...
cat80

They're silly! You can leave them in the pot, or you can separate them. The thing about clivias is that you need to give them a winter rest if you want them to flower. They should be watered sparingly....one person said "no water from November to March." Well, I did that one, in a very cool room, and yep, after 6 years, I had a lovely clivia blossom. The next few years I watered sparingly....and yep, they flowered....but sparingly was like...once a month?

Cat

Yes, it usually flowers 2 times a year and has 3-4 flower stalks since so many of the pups that have formed are mature. I really do like this one since it is so compact. I've had those tall ones and they were a pain.

I agree with Lisa about the care. Both of mine get almost zippo water from October until March or so and are sitting on the floor where it's much cooler. They also seem to survive with very little light at this time of year, but go outside for the summer.

K

Kev - grew from seed! Wow, how long did it take to get to that size? mine is the tall kind, I agree with you I don't like it as much as the compact one. I just looked at Logees, as suggested by clintdawley, hoping to find a compact one, but they do not specify. Does the compact one like yours has a different name? thanks...
Lisa (I assume you're Michigoose) thanks for the growing tips, I didn't know it needs a winter rest. No wonder I couldn't get it to bloom again! but 6 years is quite a way to go, no??? lol... I think we better order the kind Kev has...
cat80

Cat

I'm not sure how long I've had it. I do remember it took about 4 years to reach blooming size. After that, they seem to produce one new pup per year. This is a Clivia minata. I think any of the ones with that name are the more compact growers.

They are really kind of fun to grow from seed. They sprout quickly and are fun to watch grow. It can also be a much cheaper way of getting some of very cool varieties.

K

Kev, would you kindly let me know where I can order the seed from? Only if you still remember, don't want you to go thru too much trouble. The one I have is also called clivia miniata. Thanks, Kev.
cat80

I got mine from Park Seed Company. If you Google clivia seed, there are a lot of places outside of the US. Not sure if they ship here or not. I know there is another US source that I once looked at. Can't find it right now, but I remember they had some really nice varieties. I was tempted, but never ordered.

I also ordered the variegated clivia seed from Parks, but when they germinated the plants were all green. Bummer for me. They did refund my money, so it wasn't a total loss.

I also grew my yellow clivia from seed. Those I purchased from Thompson & Morgan.

K

You can get seed on eBay. There's also a cool website which tells you HOW to sprout them....I think it is the American Clivia Society.

I had it for six years before I figured out HOW to bloom the danged thing. :) It blooms regularly for me now.

Logees sends very small plants. One of the ones I froze was a minata from them.

I really like the structure of the well grown plant even when it is out of bloom. The symetry is wonderful....and I always think of the early botanical prints when I look at them.

I just took a leap of faith and ordered some variegated seedlings from China.....gulp. I figured it was a reward for 6 fourteen hour days of painting....

Get Clivia, find semi shaded spot in garden, dig hole, plant Clivia. That is it, you plant them where nothing much else will grow.
Now for the tricky bit, seeing they are named after Clive, what is the correct way to pronounce the name?

Michigoose, I looked on ebay, got more confused than before! lol... But I also looked at ACS and some Japanese sites which offer lots of info re:variegated clivias, 7 according to 1 site. You guys are really cool to germinate from seeds, sounds complicated and take sooooooooooo long! But I'm just going to take "a deep breath" and absorb as much info as I can before I order these expensive chinese seeds, because the chinese clivias are what I'm after, just never knew we can order seeds! duh! thanks for your help!
cat80

I found this enlightening and interesting. It explained about Daruma, Light of Buddha and some other things, and Wu Jin is a seller on eBay. I'll let you know how things turn out with mine....if they don't freeze which I am a little concerned about.

Another source for information is the American Clivia Society, and I can't figure out how to have double links, and I am html illiterate, so....it is the following:

http://www.americancliviasociety.org/

Have fun, and don't drool too much! Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Clivia info from Wu Jin

Hi Lisa,
I found a great site, so i thought, that sells clivia seeds from China. Their plants look great, but their seeds cost anything from $3.00 to $9.00 per seed! I was sending you the url, as fyi, when i submited my message, i got a warning from Garden Web that the clivia url i tried to send you was blocked from this site because they have experienced spams from them before! It's chineseclivia, and just add "com" at the end if you're interested in seeing their plants. But the price from your site is a lot more reasonable. Yes, please keep me posted with your order.
cat80

all right, I have to ask. How on earth do you find enough space for so much clivia?

But then, I read somewhere else that in S. Africa, clivias are on a par with orchids.

komi, who? How many clivia? I just bought some seedlings (3), and I only had one...Space? lol...well, you see, I have this sun porch, and there are 11 rooms in the house, and then th ere is the light stand in the basement....It doesn't look like a jungle.....

you have no idea.... not a jungle, huh? *evil cackle*

Don't forget, some of my ferns and my other plants have air rights. :) Opens up a whooooole lot more space.

Anyone who likes Clivia should visit Longwood Gardens in the spring. Oh and they do a nice job with orchids as well! I bought two from Oak Hill and they are a good size now. I bought two more years later at $10.00 each out of season at a HD in Michigan. I've seen Clivia for $30, $300, $3,000(!) and had a hard time determining what the difference between them was. What is it about Clivia/Orchids; Peony/Iris; Teaching/Deviant Sex?

Here is a link that might be useful: Delicious Agony Website

Well Howard, if you're talking about people and their interests I must challenge you.

Yes, I like orchids and clivia. After all, other than orchids my clivia are the only other indoor plants I have.

I adore peonies. When they bloom in my garden, I cut almost every single one from the 12 or so bushes I have a bring them inside. My house is full of them and I love it. Most iris do nothing for me.

I am not a teacher nor have I ever had the desire to be one. As far as the other thing goes, well............ we'll just stop there. OK?

k

Now I have the bug to get some more clivia. I go through this every year.

Ohh! Me too Kev! Altho, I do like Iris too, primarily Japanese and Siberian Iris, although I have some knock your eyes out German Iris. I've always loved Peonies. Their scent, their structure, the lovely singles, the blousy multi petalled pink ones which remind you of some 1950s debutante....My other real lust is poppies...Love 'em. Well..I could go on.

I like plants in general. I always have. I remember helping my mother uncover bulbs in the spring, and plant bulbs in the winter when I probably was about 2. Too bad dd doesn't have the same interest, although she might when she gets older.... Clivia is so....I don't know....those lovely heavenly orangy or yellow blooms on that plant of great structure and symetry. Love them. But I also love my geneseriads, (I KNOW I spelled that wrong!), Amarylis, African violets, ferns, orchids....and lets not get started on the OUTSIDE plants....lordy...anything that's varietgated really turns my head!

cherry blossom, clematis, clivia, dahlia, irises, orchids(a-z) peonies, poppies, roses, wisteria... well you get the picture! can't imagine life without them... can't imagine love without them... and yes, Longwood Gardens is a lovely place in the spring and summer, and so are all the gardens in the tri state areas (easier access for me) and don't forget NY orchids show in April!!!
and Howard, the more expensive clivia are the chinese clivia, they're miniatures and just so unique! I think I'm just gonna take the plunge and order seedlings like Lisa, just pray that by the time they flower, I will still be around!!! LOL...
cat80

I mark the progression of the seasons with plants.

Early spring - scilla
Late spring/early summer - peonies, lily of the valley, lilacs
Summer - lilies, daylilies
Late summer - cannas
Autumn - Fall asters, mums, ornamental grasses
Winter - orchids
Late winter - seed starting under lights

Don't you just love how these threads migrate?

Kev, have you tried winter sowing outside? I'm taking the plunge...or did I tell you that in the other forum???

Cat, meet Howard, Howard, meet Cat. Do lunch sometime since you are both downtown.

Howard couldn't stay away from the GNYOS if his life depended on it. You may as well make plans.

Ha ha ha Laura, you're pretty funny!!! Perhaps you can take Howard to lunch AND the NY show!!! Like I said, NY in the spring is simply gorgeous!!! even though we're downtown but still a distance away! I used to do lunch but no longer able to, work is always demanding. Well, as you can see, periodic visits here during the day are my "breaks"!!! Besides, since I'm hooked on orchids, can't wait until at the end of the day to rush home with my 'chids! Yeah, I can get super sentimental when talk about flowers and blooms, sometimes even "a wannabe poet"!!! LOL...and who's not, unless you don't have a heart!!! again, just my opinion... later...
cat80

lol. for once, I don't think L was being funny. Cat - a few of us met at the NYIOS this year - twas fun.

Clivias to seed-sowing - we haven't migrated far enough yet!

by the way, Howard, Laura is just in her "silly mood", please don't take this personally, OK?
cat80

Actually Laura and I did meet last year at NYIOS with Komi, John, John, Van and a few others. And we did in fact break bread not once but twice if memory serves. And I suspect she was being about as silly as a kidney stone when she suggested you and I "make plans". Seems the natural progression to me... but all in good time, or not this is a no pressure 'dark side'.

H

Lisa

No, I havenÂt tried that and probably wonÂt. I enjoy doing the whole seed starting process indoors under lights too much. No offense, but those winter sowing folks scare me. Like you, I participate on a few other GW forums and the WS people always seem to rear their heads at every opportunity trying to convince people that winter sowing is the ONLY way to go and the answer to every problem. They seem so passionate about this method, almost to the point of being obnoxious or even cult like. They creep me out.

OK, ok... perhaps I'm the silly one!!! well, I have to be honest, this is my first "public forum" thingy - had to join, love orchids too much and desperate for help! (very sheltered, huh??? and not very "daring", to say the least!) so you fill in the blank...lol... but Laura, Komi, Howard and NY folks - that sure sounds like fun, if you'd like to make plans to meet at NYIOS... actually, that sounds really cool...
cat80

hey Cat - yours is the right approach to take. It's just that a number of us have been here a while. There are email conversations between certain people that go back years and years, some of us have traded a few times, and there's been chatting etc etc. And a group meet at an event is pretty stress-free.

Good call Komi. Us guys often forget that women have to play by different rules and maybe exercise more caution when crossing the bridge from Internet to reality. I don't know if Laura is up for a repeat, it sounded like she was passing her baton to Cat. Maybe a change of venue is in order. How about Longwood? I'd like to see the Frank Lloyd Wright house at Fallingwater and I think the pipe organ at Longwood (the worlds largest 'residence' pipe organ) which was under renovation for several years is once again being heard daily in recitals. Have we gone far enough off the topic yet?

H

Howard and Cat meeting seemed like a perfectly natural thing to suggest. Can't men and women have platonic relationships? Get your minds out of the gutter.

I didn't know y'all were so good at dancing. hehehehe

Yes, having met several GW members over the past few years, I don't give it a second thought anymore. I don't think we have any ax murders hanging out here.

Does anyone need a dog? One of mine seemed to think it was rather sporting to have me chasing her around the neighborhood at 7 am., half dressed, 26 degrees, heavy frost on the ground. At least my legs are shaved.

I think if I go to the show this spring, I'll fly in Sunday morning, take advantage of all the Sunday discounts and then fly home Sunday night. With the discounts and savings from not paying for hotel rooms, I can really haul home some stuff. Maybe if we all make a date now, we can all meet up again. I want to see if Van is really as tall as I remember. I think Kevin was interested in this scenario too.

I'm thinking about sboe or florida next year, or even Chicagofest. I'm not sure that I'd do NYIOS again - much rather have some greenhouses/growers to visit.

I just saw Van and yes, he is as tall as you remember.

Hey Laura, of course men and women can have a platonic relationship!!! but who's to say that I'm a woman!!! Cat can also be a man!!! I just got you there, didn't I!!! ha ha ha... but I really like YOU, Laura!!! how about that??? ok, ok, i will stop right now, and will get my head out of the gutter... you're sure there's no ax murderers here??? you promise? well, I'm very glad you're coming in April, for I'd really like to meet you... yes, and you should round up the "boys" too... Komi, I promise 2 shows in a year won't hurt you 1 bit...
cat80

Chicago! I can make that! and then we can get Val to show up again! Whoo Whoo Whoo!

Well Howard, lookee here, you want to go to Chicago. Lots of company.

The thing with going back to NY rather than elsewhere, for me, is that NY is easy to get into and out of, I can do a RT in one day, don't need hotels, don't need to rent a car, don't need a pet sitter at home etc, etc, etc.....

That and I don't feel like taking my vacations in the States going to orchid shows. If I'm going to go to the trouble of organizing a few days out of town, I want it to be well worth it.

Albeit,it's fun meeting people from the forum.

Not having Paul around anymore to take care of the dogs and birds, when I decide to disappear for a couple of days, just adds another "issue" to consider. At the moment,I don't have the energy.

Laura, I'll be at the show, and I know from another post, John and, OMG, I forgot if it was Carolyn or Jane, who said she will be there... and hey, Laura, I was being silly before, I can certainly be very silly when I want to, you know... lol... but I assure you, I am a woman, lol... well, today you had your dog chasing you, but I had vendors chasing me, all day, twas no fun... and Howard, Longwood is very nice but I think it's very inconvenient for lots of people, because of its location. You don't want to go to Rockefeller? you'd rather go to Chicago? you can do both you know!
cat80

Cat, cat, cat,

we quit shooting people for being silly last year. You're safe unless you hear the sound of distant banjos...

Now, those vendors.....

That may have been,well, more than a little fun.

I may be lurking at Chicagofest next year.....

Cat, I never said I wasn't going to NYIOS this year but I had said to Laura I wanted to check out Chicagofest as well. I've been to more than half a dozen GNYOS shows before they moved it. Last year was my first time to RC. I've always wanted to meet Val and when I lived in MI it was a real possibility but it never came together. I'd love to meet Lisa too but nobody mention watering techniques while we are together. I had sent Oak Hill Gardens a pic of their Stan. 'Ronsard' when I bloomed it which turned into a correspondence with Greg about using it in their catalog! As far as I know it never happened but I would love to see their store anyway.

H

Lol, Howard, we are not as different in our watering techniques as you might think.... Eeek...pretty soon this thread will have to be switched over to the ON topic side....lordy, we've hijacked this enough so it has REALLY turned the bend!

who's Val and "tall Van"??? don't forget I'm kinda new here, Howard!!! and I'm glad you're still going to RC...
cat80

Cat80, Val is a poster who lurks sometimes...she came on about the same time I did, about 4 years ago. She's trained as a nurse but is a crackerjack artist (meaning she's good...I don't know if she's ever painted crackerjack or not ;) ), and she lives in the Chicago area. She has a growing area in a sunroom and can get things to do really well.

Van lives in the Village and he's about 6'6". Keep in mind, I'm 5'3". I think he spends most of his time on flickr now.