Clivia miniata: mine after a 20-year wait. Photograph: yichuanshen/Flickr/Some rights reserved
I first saw it in my teenage bible, DG Hessayon's The Houseplant Expert, and it was love at first sight. I was seduced by Clivia miniata's acid-orange exotic flowers and glossy straplike leaves. For some reason, I never got hold of one - probably because they didn't sell clivias in Woolworths and it was outside my £1.50 price range anyway.
Now, 20 years later, I've got hold of a Clivia, and I am worried that it's going to be a terrible disappointment - like meeting a childhood sweetheart at a school reunion and finding out he's fat, bald and miserable. Or perhaps it'll live up to my expectations and keep throwing out gorgeous orange blooms all summer.
If I follow a few simple guides, though, all should be well. Clivias are great houseplants because they positively enjoy being potbound: they're not exactly in the diva category owned by caladiums and carnivorous plants, but they do need moist soil, regular feeding in the summer and a spot out of direct sunlight.
What plants do you plot and dream over? And when you finally get your hands on them, do they live up to expectations? Share your plant lust list below.
