Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
' Little Galaxy ' lily of the Nile . Photo by : Proven Winners .
Agapanthus , a popular perennial that grows from a bulb - alike rhizome , is a tough survivor in the face of chronic drought . Their strappy evergreen or semi - evergreen leaves allow for wintertime presence while blue or white flowers contribute a charge of mid to late summertime coloring .
TheAgapanthusgenus lie in of seven metal money that go by the rough-cut name lily of the Nile ( or sometimes African lily ) . Native to dry outcroppings or moist wad hayfield of South Africa , they prefer full sunshine and drain soil .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care|Pictures|Design Ideas
On this pageboy :
BASICS
Botanical name:
Agapanthusspp .
Common name:
Lily of the nile , African lily
Zones:
6 - 11
Exposure:
Full sunlight
Soil:
Well - drained
Bloom time:
Mid - summertime to early autumn
Flower color:
Blue , purple , bloodless
Foliage:
Evergreen , semi - evergreen , or deciduous . The evergreen plant case are tender in temperatures below 20 ° F , but the deciduous types are surprisingly hardy .
Height:
The flower stanch of a standardAgapanthuscan grow up to 6 understructure tall , but dwarf type only develop up to 20 column inch .
Are agapanthus plants deer resistant?
Most gardeners report that their lily of the Nile flora are seldom eaten .
Is agapanthus poisonous?
Agapanthusplants are n’t true lilies , and do n’t share their high level of toxicity . However , consumption of the rootstock and roots can cause minor illness that can step up depending on the amount ingested . The sap from the leaves can cause cutis vexation .
PLANTING AGAPANTHUS
When to plant:
Plant agapanthus bulbs once soil temporary have warm to 50 degrees F , and all danger of icing has passed .
Where to plant:
Plant in a site that receive full sun ( 6 - 8 hour a day ) . However , in red-hot climate , they may do substantially with some afternoon specter .
How to plant:
commit bulbs with the pointed end up , two column inch deep , 12 to 18 inches aside , and cover with grime . Protect the root zone with mulch in colder climates .
AGAPANTHUS CARE
Agapanthus‘Blue Wave ’ , prove here , is adept in full sunshine and draining stain . It requires minimal watering . Do n’t mulch ; do give an constituent fertilizer blend once yearly in later winter . Photo by : Dan Hinkley .
Water:
Provide supplementary moisture during the establishment menstruation . Many also apprise steady water during the growing season .
Fertilizer:
hold a well - balanced fertiliser as development starts in leap . Add a bloom - boosting fertilizer ( higher P and K ) in August or September when flower buds begin to develop below ground .
Pruning:
Cutting agapanthus back is a matter of personal preference . Some gardeners think the dry out bloom heading are attractive and ply much needed winter sake . Other gardeners favor to burn the spend prime off , a process ring deadheading , as shortly as they are past their prime of life . Doing so forbid plants from wasting energy on source product and alternatively allows them to stack away up energy for next year ’s heyday .
Division:
Regular partitioning does not seem to be of the essence to carrying out . However , if you wish well to divide them for extension role , because they ’ve outgrow their bed or pot , or if they are n’t flowering well , here are some guideline :
Overwintering:
Evergreen varieties are more suited to zone 8 - 11 , but may still need some winter protection from freezing temperature , which can strike occasionally even in Zone 9 . If temps remain below 55 degrees F , isolate the base area with a 2- to 3- inch layer of mulch , or tent the plant life with amini greenhouse .
For zone 6 or 7 , works can be grok up and overwintered in pots indoors near a sunny window or under grow lights . graft back into the garden once temperatures warm up in the leap .
Caring for Potted Agapanthus:
consort to illustrious plant hunter and nurseryman Dan Hinkley , “ Agapanthus make brilliant , dispirited - upkeep , and highly long - live on container plants . ” Here are his tips :
POPULAR AGAPANTHUS VARIETIES
picture by : Proven success
Little Galaxy — Buy now from Proven WinnersAgapanthushybrid
Zones:6 - 10
This agapanthus has a much respectable frigid tolerance , being hardy down to Zone 6 . The unforesightful , summary wont of this extract make it perfect for container or pocket-sized gardens .
Photo by : Garden World Images Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo .
‘ Peter Pan’Agapanthus africanus
Zones:8 - 11
This dwarf agapanthus has pocket-size clump of evergreen leafage with deep blue bloom bunch that reach up to 18 in in height . It is a tidy plant that can be used near swimming pools . ‘ Tinkerbell ’ is another nanus alternative have variegate leaf .
Courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery , Inc.
‘ violent storm Cloud’Agapanthus’Storm Cloud '
Zones:7 - 10
‘ violent storm Cloud ’ is the darkest of the robust , semi - evergreen mintage . “ It ’s a vigorous and to a great extent flowering form , creating a roll of inscrutable - gamey thunder on sturdy stems to 3.5 invertebrate foot , ” explains Hinkley . ‘ Storm Cloud ’ , however , possesses more substance in name and flower than it does in general hardiness . It should be stave off in garden hurt rough winter temperature ; 20 degree Fahrenheit is enough to spoil the follow year ’s floral display if it does n’t kill it outright .
exposure by : Dan Hinkley .
‘ Graskop’Agapanthus inapertus
Renowned plant hunting watch Dan Hinkley describes ‘ Graskop ’ as “ the most seductiveAgapanthusI’ve brought to flower , looking from a distance to be nearly as black asIris chrysographes . ” It features sturdy flower stalk that may heighten to an astonishing 5 foundation , capped by umbels of nod tubular flowers in deep blue - reddish blue whole tone . It is completely deciduous and intrepid than most realize .
Photo by : Andrea Jones Images / Alamy Stock Photo .
Queen MumAgapanthus praecoxssp.orientalis
Queen Mum ™ was bred in Australia , and for Hinkley , is the gilded standard of the genus . “ It is of exceeding form and the one to which all others should be mensurate , ” he say . Enormous heads of large blank bloom transition to deep blue at the base atop uncompromising stem to 3 foot . Best planted in containers in Zone 7 and below .
Photo by : Jacqueline Chong / Millette Photomedia .
‘ Blue Yonder’Agapanthus‘Blue Yonder ’
Zones:5 - 10
‘ Blue Yonder ’ sports strip cobalt - blue flowers on flower spikes 3 foot tall . It is deciduous in nature and extremely inhuman hardy , although it does apprize a heavy wintertime mulching to protect it from freezing temperature . Attracts bee , butterflies and birds .
pic by : visi88136 © Visions BV , Netherlands / VisionsPictures & Photography .
‘ Gold Strike’Agapanthus‘Gold Strike ’
‘ atomic number 79 Strike ’ is a variegate Agapanthus with frisky , broad xanthous - margined foliation and a satisfying presentation of contrasting , mid - drab bloom . “ I utilise it to good result , I conceive , in a container , unwilling to give a division to my clime to screen general hardiness , ” enounce Hinkley .
Photo by : Tom McGinty / Shutterstock .
Blue Storm ™ Agapanthus praecox orientalis
Blue Storm ™ is a small agapanthus that is excellent in container and as edging . Its leave of absence are evergreen and it sports an abundance of sky - blue bloom for up to 10 weeks .
Photo by : DTraves / Shutterstock .
‘ Albus’Agapanthus africanus‘Albus ’
The glossy , evergreen plant leave of ‘ Albus ’ are attractive on their own , but the real show take place when the flower stalks shoot up and the white , trumpet - shaped flower opened in successiveness like fireworks . A respectable option for seaside gardens as it abide coastal conditions well . Will achieve a matured size of it of 2 to 3 feet high and extensive .
pic by : Ksenia Tauroa | Dreamstime .
‘ Loch Hope’Agapanthus‘Loch Hope ’
success of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society , ‘ Loch Hope ’ has deep gloomy flush and deciduous , gray-haired - green leaves . It is one of the former agapanthus varieties to flower .
Other cultivars to try :
DESIGN IDEAS
Agapanthusis a various plant that can be used in many agency . Here are some suggestion from Hinkley :
Warning:
Do n’t imbed other incandescent lamp too near toAgapanthus — they will be overtaken by the expanding roots .
Portions of this clause were adapted from a piece originally written by Dan Hinkley for Garden Design magazine .
