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Plant care

Green-tip Forest Lily (Greentip Lily) care

Clivia nobilis

Also called Green-tip Forest Lily, Greentip Lily, Drooping Clivia.

RHS H1bUSDA 9-11Toxic to petsIndoor 30–50 cm tall and 40–60 cm wide in a pot

Watering rhythm

Bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window)

Water moderately in spring and summer; reduce to barely moist in autumn and winter.

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Light

Bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window)

Soil

Well-draining loam-based mix with added perlite or coarse grit

Humidity

40–60%

Temp

10–24°C (with a cool winter rest at 10–13°C to initiate flowering)

Pet safety

Toxic to pets

Mature size

30–50 cm tall and 40–60 cm wide in a pot

Care at a glance

Light

Green-tip Forest Lily is what florists mean by "bright spot, no direct sun" — close enough to a south or east window to feel the brightness, with a sheer curtain or a few feet of distance keeping the sun off the leaves. Grow in bright, filtered light away from direct sun; leaf scorch appears quickly in summer sun through glass. In outdoor shade it will flower well if light levels remain moderate. A phone lux-meter at the leaf surface should read 1,500-3,000 lux at noon.

Watering

Water green-tip forest lily water moderately in spring and summer; reduce to barely moist in autumn and winter.. The actual day count varies with pot size, light, and season — the finger test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) is more reliable than a fixed calendar. Empty any drainage saucer afterwards so the pot isn't sitting in water. Allow the top 2–3 cm of compost to dry between waterings during the growing season. Severely restrict water (roughly once a month) during the 6-to-8-week winter rest, as this dry, cool spell is essential to initiate flower buds.

Soil and pot

Green-tip Forest Lily grows best in well-draining loam-based mix with added perlite or coarse grit. A 3:1 blend of peat-free loam-based potting compost and perlite works well; the fleshy roots store moisture but rot rapidly in waterlogged conditions. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Green-tip Forest Lily sits happiest at around 40–60% humidity and 10–24°C (with a cool winter rest at 10–13°C to initiate flowering) (50–75°F (cool winter rest at 50–55°F)). Tolerates average household humidity without additional misting; avoid placing near heating vents that drop humidity below 30% for extended periods. If you keep the room above 10–24°C (with a cool winter rest at 10–13°C to initiate flowering) year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed green-tip forest lily sparingly. Apply a balanced liquid fertiliser at half-strength every two weeks from late spring through to when the flower buds first appear; withhold entirely during the winter rest. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on green-tip forest lily in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Mealybugs — Waxy white colonies collect at leaf bases and in the sheaths; remove with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol or apply an insecticidal soap spray, repeating every 7–10 days.
  • Root rot from overwatering — Fleshy roots blacken and collapse if the compost stays wet, especially during the winter rest; repot into fresh, gritty compost, trim rotted roots, and withhold water for one to two weeks to allow cut surfaces to callous.
  • Failure to flower — The most common complaint; caused by skipping the cool, dry autumn-winter rest. Move the plant to a cool (10–13°C), dim position and reduce watering for 6–8 weeks, then bring back into warmth and resume normal care.

Propagation

Divide offsets (pups) from the base of the mother plant in spring after flowering, ensuring each division has at least three to four leaves and some roots. Can also be grown from seed sown fresh in a warm, moist propagating mix, but seedlings take 3–5 years to flower. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Green-tip Forest Lily is toxic to pets. Listed by the ASPCA as toxic to cats and dogs under 'Clivia Lily'. The toxic principle is the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid lycorine, concentrated most heavily in the bulb/rhizome. Ingestion causes vomiting, salivation, and diarrhoea; large ingestions can produce convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors, and cardiac arrhythmias. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Green-tip Forest Lily care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Clivia nobilis?

Clivia nobilis is most commonly called Green-tip Forest Lily, but it is also known as Green-tip Forest Lily, Greentip Lily, Drooping Clivia. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Green-tip Forest Lily apply identically to anything sold as Greentip Lily.

How much light does green-tip forest lily need?

Green-tip Forest Lily grows best in bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window). Grow in bright, filtered light away from direct sun; leaf scorch appears quickly in summer sun through glass. In outdoor shade it will flower well if light levels remain moderate.

How often should I water green-tip forest lily?

Water green-tip forest lily water moderately in spring and summer; reduce to barely moist in autumn and winter.. Allow the top 2–3 cm of compost to dry between waterings during the growing season. Severely restrict water (roughly once a month) during the 6-to-8-week winter rest, as this dry, cool spell is essential to initiate flower buds. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is green-tip forest lily toxic to cats and dogs?

Green-tip Forest Lily is toxic to pets. Listed by the ASPCA as toxic to cats and dogs under 'Clivia Lily'. The toxic principle is the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid lycorine, concentrated most heavily in the bulb/rhizome. Ingestion causes vomiting, salivation, and diarrhoea; large ingestions can produce convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors, and cardiac arrhythmias.

What USDA hardiness zone does green-tip forest lily grow in?

Green-tip Forest Lily is rated for USDA zone 9-11 (indoor in most climates) and RHS hardiness H1b. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Green-tip Forest Lily deep-dive guides

Every aspect of green-tip forest lily care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Green-tip Forest Lily qualifies for 3 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Green-tip Forest Lily is also known as Green-tip Forest Lily, Greentip Lily, and Drooping Clivia.