Lowveld Clivia Club celebrates 21st anniversary with Spring Fair
More than 100 plants were showcased at the Lowveld Clivia Club’s 21st anniversary celebration.
The Lowveld Clivia Club hosted its annual Spring Fair at the Lowveld National Botanical Garden on September 14, as part of its 21st anniversary celebrations.
The club’s members showcased more than 100 plants to the public and judges from across the country. The Best Interspecific Clivia Award was won by Ian Radmore. In the Foliage section, Paul Kloeck won Best on Show and also the People’s Choice Award.
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According to Kloeck, the former chairperson of the club, the exhibition saw a variety of 150 plants with breathtaking colours and shapes. Each contestant was judged on rarity, striking flowers (their shape and flower count), how high the flowers were above the foliage and the strength and straightness of the peduncle. When a flower is borne singly, the internode between the receptacle and the bract, (the last leaf, often modified and usually smaller than the other leaves), is the peduncle.
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“There are six species of clivias: miniata, nobilis, caulescens, gardenii, robusta and mirabilis. This show was held mainly to display C. Miniata. Only one other species was also on show – the nobilis. When two of the six species are crossed with each other, an interspecific clivia arises. This is when spectacular shapes and colours can occur,” he said.
Kloeck also said breeders of the aforementioned clivias have managed to breed plants to flower for almost 10 months a year. He said the aim of these exhibitions goes far beyond showcasing plants to judges, but to also show them to the public. He believes the public is unaware of these flowers and he wants to involve more people in his personal passion.
