perennial
Bush lily
Clivia miniata
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Bush lily is a slow-growing evergreen perennial hardy in zones 9–11. It grows 1.5–2 ft tall and 1.5–2 ft wide, so plant it 1.5 ft apart. Give it part shade to shade and little water once established. It flowers orange in February to April. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest and the Pacific Northwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Clivia miniata
- Plant type
- Perennial, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 9 to 11
- Sun
- Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil; tolerates dry shade.
- Mature size
- 1.5–2 ft tall × 1.5–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Feb–Apr · orange
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- classic, modern, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. ASPCA lists clivia as toxic (lycorine): vomiting, drooling, diarrhoea.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $18–$35 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer until roots establish, then only during long dry spells.
- Pruning
- Remove spent flower stalks.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 9 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 9 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Bush lily, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Cast iron plantAspidistra elatiorperennial · zones 7–11
- Shrubby yew pinePodocarpus macrophyllus var. makishrub · zones 8–10
- Holly fernCyrtomium falcatumfern · zones 7–10
- Dwarf mondo grass 'Nana'Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nana'groundcover · zones 7–10
- Southern shield fernThelypteris kunthiifern · zones 7–10
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'shrub · zones 7–10
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Bush lily: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants