Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Clivia (Clivia miniata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Natal lily, bush lily, kaffir lily.

About Clivia

Clivia miniata · also called Natal lily, bush lily · flowering

Clivia is a South African evergreen with strappy dark green leaves and clusters of orange trumpet flowers in late winter. It tolerates low light, dry air, and forgiving care, blooming reliably after a cool dry winter rest. Toxic to pets due to lycorine alkaloids in all parts.

Clivia miniata is a clump-forming perennial from the shaded forest floors of South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga), growing in dappled shade and humus-rich soil, sometimes lodged in the fork of a tree.

Slow-growing, long-lived clumper that flowers best when crowded; all parts contain toxic alkaloids and the rhizomes are reported as especially poisonous, so keep away from pets and children.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1c (16-24°C summer; 10-13°C winter rest)

Watch for — No flowers: Skipped the cool dry winter rest; needs 8-10 weeks below 13°C with little water.

Sources: pza.sanbi.org, rhs.org.uk, hort.extension.wisc.edu

What clivia's hardiness rating actually means

Clivia is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Clivia has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for clivia as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can clivia go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when clivia can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Clivia hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is clivia cold hardy?

Clivia is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Clivia can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature clivia can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Clivia has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is clivia?

Clivia is rated USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can clivia survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to clivia below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.