Plant lovers and breeders, you need to make your way to Hyde Park Corner for Made to Bloom, to learn more about Clivias, and to meet farmer, and Clivia breeder, Andre Swart.

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According to Swart, Clivias bloom quietly in South African gardens every spring, but they have captured imaginations and wallets worldwide. “Clivias grow naturally only in Southern Africa. We are fortunate to see them in our gardens and in the wild. In other countries, people rely on what we export.”

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He explained that from the Cape, missionaries and traders carried the plants abroad. By the early 1900s, Japanese officers introduced them to China, where they quickly became symbols of wealth and status. “In China, owning a Clivia can still be a sign of prestige.”

Swart pointed out that today, South Africa leads the world in breeding new varieties, including rare double Clivias with multiple petals.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Farmer and Clivia breeder, Andre Swart, speaks about Clivias at the pop-up Made to Bloom event in Hyde Park on September 9, 2025. Video: Duduzile Khumalo #Sandton #Flower ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

Collectors pay thousands of rands for unique specimens, while some of Swart’s plants are, in his words, priceless.

He elaborated that what makes them so irresistible is their genetics, rarity, and beauty. “Each plant is one of a kind. Clivias are part of our heritage. Growing or breeding them is a way of keeping that legacy alive, and the world is watching what South Africa does next.”

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