After 12 years, Judy Coenen's interest in clivias has grown into somewhat of an obsession – she now has thousands of plants.

'It starts as a hobby, then it's a passion and before you know it, it's an obsession,” she says.

'Then you find yourself importing seed from Japan and South Africa; seed that's really expensive so you promise yourself not to do it again, but then the next catalogue arrives and every seed is a gamble because there's no guarantee of what you're going to get.”

Judy, who lives at Apata, and well-known Te Puna plant breeder Ian Duncalf regularly swap pollen for their breeding programmes.

Ian has named a clivia after golfing star Lydia Ko and is considering naming one for Dame Valerie Adams. 'I only name a plant when I'm reasonably pleased with it,” Ian says, 'and it may take a couple of seasons for me to decide if it's got the right attributes.”

He reckons naming a clivia for his wife was a particularly dangerous thing to do. 'Fortunately, the flower of Clivia Barbara is as beautiful as the woman.”

The clivia show is coming to Tauranga on September 22 from 1-4pm at Te Puna Quarry Park. Entry is free and there will be plants for sale as well as a chance to talk to local growers and breeders.