How much? For one clivia? Wow!

IF YOU PLUCKED off the petals of this particular flowering clivia and weighed them, they’re worth more than their weight in gold. A lot more. This one clivia plant, a cross between Holy Smoke and Hiroa, with a green centre, grown by local clivia enthusiast Louis Lötter, fetched R20,000 at a recent auction.

The clivia show and auction were part of the Sunday Tribune Garden Show and Clivia Forum Conference, held at the Royal Show Grounds in Pietermaritzburg from September 18-21.

Mr Lötter was the only Vryheid clivia grower to enter plants at the show and at the auction, and of his six plants on show, four received medals – one gold, two silver and one bronze. In addition, one of his plants was judged best on show in that class.

He submitted three clivia plants for the auction: his Nakamura Koi sold for R1,500, his Green Star sold for R2,250, and the Holy Smoke/Hiroa cross, with a green centre was sold for the highest price on auction – R20,000 – the buyer being Joubert van Wyk from Johannesburg.

At the clivia conference local and overseas speakers presented papers on the various aspects of clivia growing, breeding, etc. Informative and interesting talks and demonstrations on the various aspects of clivia breeding and growing were offered, and there were also visits arranged to local growers and breeders.