it depends on what you mean by cold down there. I was in Harare and in August we could see our breath in the morning. There were news reports from around Joburg of snow on the mountains.

They bloom outside naturally in Southern California as well. It doesn't get really cold here, maybe into the high 40's at night in winter, if that. They are generally planted in shady spots, so light isn't much of an issue.

Actually, what we have to go through is exactly what clivias experience naturally in South Africa. Understand that they are native only to SA, not all of Africa. They experience a cold winter - it can get quite cold (close to freezing is possible, 40 degrees or below is common) in SA, which is in the subtropics, but at high elevation. Also SA gets less than 20" of rain a year, all in the summer.

Wow, now that my friend never told me. Very intersting. Thanks for that info. Guess Clivias even get a rest period there too...:-)
You know, I suppose there is even a rest period in the tropics come to think of it. I have been in Puerto Rico in winter when some trees actually loose all there leaves, and certain trees will only fruit or ripen then, due to a change in the weather, whether it be more rain, more cloudy days, cooler nights, a tilt in the sun and so on. Those plants know the difference between summer and winter even in these places I guess. Much more in Florida too. I have actually seen Florida get frost in December near Tampa Bay and scrape it off my windshield when visiting my friends.
Thanks for the insight

Hi,

The light, water, cold issues are guidelines. Water especially, since too much dampness can cause root rot. Aside from that, my best flowers follow the coldest winters here in Sacramento (perhaps 20-25F low). They still flower outside, even in San Diego where the coldest nights don't even get close to 25F. People grow Clivias successfully in FL and south TX. Happy Thanksgiving.

Craig