Plant Database

Other Names:  Fire Lily, Bush Lily, Kaffir Lily

Description:

A beautiful bulb plant for the frost free garden or potted to move indoors in winter; glorious clusters of yellow-gold blooms rising above deep green foliage gives tremendous contrast; water more in spring and less in summer or winter

Ornamental Features

Golden Dragon Clivia features showy clusters of lightly-scented peach trumpet-shaped flowers with yellow overtones and gold throats at the ends of the stems from late winter to early spring. Its attractive large sword-like leaves remain dark green in colour throughout the year. It produces red berries in mid spring.

Landscape Attributes

Golden Dragon Clivia is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Golden Dragon Clivia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Golden Dragon Clivia will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 16 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Golden Dragon Clivia is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.