Description
Agapanthus belongs to the lily family; it is a rhizomatous perennial from South Africa.
It has long, strap-shaped, dark green leaves and showy globular or slightly flattened flower heads that appear at the top of long, leafless flower stalks. The individual flowers are bell-shaped, in colours from white through blue to violet-sapphire.
Requirements
Agapanthus needs loamy soil with added peat and sand, and generous watering during the growing season. It needs a sunny position.
Propagation
It is propagated by dividing older plants from March to August.
Care
Plant Agapanthus in pots, covering the rhizome with a thin layer of soil. Choose a pot only slightly larger than the rhizome and move it to a larger one only once it has grown. It flowers from July to September. During the growing season feed it regularly with a balanced liquid fertiliser for flowering plants, and it will flower profusely. Deciduous varieties can be dug up and only the rhizomes stored over winter.
In our climate Agapanthus does not survive the winter in the ground, as it does not tolerate frost. It is therefore best grown in containers that are put out in the garden in spring. In autumn, before the frosts, move the pots to a cool, light room, reduce watering and keep them at 1–8°C.