Ghost Flowers & Watercolours: A Distinctive Class of Clivia
Ghost or watercolour Clivias are now recognized as a unique and evolving category in the Clivia world. According to the latest Clivia Society Show Rules, this category includes flowers displaying marked variations in tepal pigmentation—often showing a dilute or near loss of colour on parts of the inner tepal surface. These ethereal patterns evoke the appearance of watercolour brushstrokes or soft veils, and often exhibit hauntingly beautiful contrasts.
With the introduction of dedicated judging classes for Ghosts, Watercolours, and Particolours, these once-overlooked cultivars are finally receiving the attention and appreciation they deserve. Notably, examples such as Florid White Lips fall squarely into this category (see Fig. 2).
As more breeders successfully flower these types each year, ghost flowers are rapidly gaining popularity among collectors for their subtle beauty and complex genetic appeal.
Our Breeding Philosophy & Aims
We believe that successful breeding begins with passion and genuine enjoyment of the work. Our primary focus has been on consistent, high-quality ghost breeding through careful selection and strategic crossing.
Key practices in our ghost breeding program include:
Using only the best ghost types for selfing, interbreeding, and backcrossing each season.
Focusing on line breeding using exceptional plants like Ghost 2.
Exploring new traits, such as pencil-fine picotee edges and pastel ghost blends.
Two standout cultivars from our efforts are:
Lipstick Ghost – A pastel ghost with a refined, fine-edged picotee.
Spirit Ghost – A delicately blushed flower, showcasing the finesse possible in ghost breeding.
The Story of Ghost 2
(Source: Charl Malan)
In 1994, during a visit to renowned Japanese breeder Yoshi Nakamura, Charl Malan received a few seeds with ghost potential. When these seedlings flowered in 2000, Charl selected the best two and named them Ghost 1 and Ghost 2. As these plants flowered together, they were inter-pollinated, and over time they gave rise to some of the finest ghost, pastel, and yellow cultivars in existence.
Ghost 2 in Our Breeding Program
Ghost 2 has become the cornerstone of our breeding program due to its strong genetic influence and consistently exceptional offspring. Below are highlights of its use and results:
Ghost 2 × Florid White Lips
→ Produced exceptional ghost types with enhanced white suffusion. The first of these, Spectre, was awarded Judges’ Choice at the Eastern Province Show in 2016.(Pastel × Chiba Orange) × Ghost 2
→ Resulted in the soft-hued Vision, a pastel ghost with excellent flower form and subtle contrast.Kelly’s Globe (large yellow) × Ghost 2
→ Bred by the late Mark Lewis, this cross produced Phantasm, a standout ghost used extensively in our current lines.Chiba × Ghost 2
→ Produced near-white, large-flowered seedlings with unpigmented stems, indicating Ghost 2 is split for Group 1 yellow. Notable results include:Greater White
Jon Snow
Daenerys
While Ghost 2 is a robust and vigorous plant, it does not self well and has low seed set. It also offsets poorly, which makes its propagation slow—but all the more valuable.
Looking Forward: The Next Generation
Recent advancements include breeding for multi-tepal ghost flowers, expanding the scope of form as well as color. Although ghost and particolour breeding is still in its early phases, the future is exceptionally promising. As we refine these lines, we anticipate the emergence of breathtaking new combinations—subtle, painterly, and truly unique.
