Product Details
Cliva miniata is an easy-to-care-for houseplant, thriving in low light and preferring to be kept on the dry side (which means less watering on your part). Our unusual variegated plant will be a bright focal point year round—each leaf has a unique pattern of creamy yellow to white stripes on a dark green background. Clusters of orange blooms with yellow throats generally appear in early spring, after plants have been given a winter rest period. Our blooming-size plant is shipped in a 7" terracotta pot with matching saucer.
Clivias thrive even in a north window and require very little care, growing larger and more impressive with age. They are ideal plants for a second home. Please click on Growing Guide for further information.
Shipping
WEATHER PERMITTING - Working with Mother Nature
In our business, we work closely with Mother Nature. In the colder months when we stipulate that an item is shipped “weather permitting”, that means temperatures outside our shipping facility in northwestern Connecticut and along the shipping route must be warm enough for tender plants to survive in unheated delivery trucks. Our practice of waiting for windows of milder weather may result in the occasional delay, but our customers tend to appreciate the care we take to make certain their plants arrive in the very best possible condition. Questions? Don’t hesitate to call our customer service staff at 1-800-411-6159.HOW PLANTS ARE SHIPPED
The size of the plants we ship has been selected to reduce the shock of transplanting. For some, this means a large, bareroot crown. Others cannot travel bareroot or transplant best if grown in containers. We ship these perennials and annuals in 1 pint pots, except as noted. We must point out that many perennials will not bloom the first year after planting, but will the following year, amply rewarding your patience. We ship bulbs as dormant, bare bulbs, sometimes with some wood shavings or moss. Shrubs, Roses, vines, and other woody plants may be shipped bareroot or in pots. The size of the pot is noted in the quick facts for each item.
WHEN WE SHIP
We ship our bulbs and plants at the right time for planting in your area, except as noted, with orders dispatched on a first-come, first-served basis by climate zone. Estimated dates for shipping are indicated in the Shipping Details box for each item. Please refer to the Shipping Details box to determine the earliest shipping time. Please supply a street address for delivery. Kindly contact us with two weeks notice, if you'll be away at expected time of delivery.
OUR GUARANTEE
We guarantee to ship plants that are in prime condition for growing. If your order is damaged or fails to meet your expectations, we will cheerfully replace or refund it. Please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-503-9624 or email us at [email protected]. Please include your order number or customer number when contacting us.
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Growing guide
Latin Name Pronunciation: kly'-vee-ah min-ee-ay'-tah
Clivias have a well-earned reputation as rugged houseplants that demand very little attention.
LIGHT
- Clivias grow best where they receive bright daylight but little or no direct sun--in a north-facing window, for example, or in an east- or west-facing window that is partially shaded by a deciduous tree.
- You can summer your plant outdoors in a shady location. Just remember to bring it back in before the first frost. Clivias won't endure temperatures that dip much below freezing.
WATER
- Clivias prefer to be kept on the dry side. We strongly suggest that you avoid a weekly watering regimen and instead water only when the plant requires it.
- During the growing season, which begins after the "Winter Rest" and continues through October, water thoroughly (until water drains freely from the hole in the bottom of the pot) when the top inch of the potting mix becomes dry to the touch. Potting mix that remains constantly wet can cause rot, which is first manifested by the appearance of pale green or bright orange cankers on the leaves.
- Please note that misting the leaves is neither necessary nor desirable and can encourage disease.
- Clivias flower more reliably if you give them a period of rest in late fall. Begin this rest period once your plant arrives, and repeat it every year thereafter.
- For 12-14 weeks (about 3 months), keep the plant in light in a cool room (50-55°F is ideal) and withhold water.
- Keep a close eye on your plant during this resting period. If you notice that it is beginning to wilt, add a scant 1-2 cups of water, just enough to moisten the soil lightly.
- Begin normal watering (see "Water" above) at the end of the "Winter Rest". Bloom usually, but not always, follows in 6-12 weeks.
FERTILIZER
- After your plant has bloomed (generally in the period from April to August), fertilize it monthly with a water-soluble fertilizer (20-20-20) mixed at ½ the recommended strength.
- Use restraint: More fertilizer is not better. Stop fertilizing by mid-September.
GROOMING
- Cut flower stalks off at the base after the blooms have faded to prevent the plant from expending energy on the production of seeds. Also remove leaves that withered and turned brown.
REPOTTING
- Clivias tolerate considerable crowding of their roots and bloom best, in fact, when pot-bound.
- As a plant grows, some of the fleshy roots may push their way up above the potting mix. This is normal.
- Repotting is necessary only every 3-5 years. After bloom, lift the plant from its pot and place it in a new pot that is no more than 2" in diameter larger than the old one. Use a potting mix that drains well and that is composed of at least 50% organic matter, such as peat moss or fir bark. Most potting mixes sold at garden centers meet both requirements.
