Also known as the African or Nile Lily, these cheerful evergreen perennials produce upright, drumstick shaped flower heads through the mid-summer heat (also rain) and up to the first hints of Autumn. Their healthy, strap-like green leaves are lush and neat, perfect for swooshing along the edge of a paved area or path.
Agapanthus like full sun and a very well drained soil, as they don't like having wet feet in winter. However, if they dry out during summer and early Autumn their ability to flower well will be reduced, so a mere trickle of water in dry weather makes all the difference to a mature plant. They adore warm gravel gardens and thrive in pots - as with any potted plant, you must pay more attention to watering.
Avoid planting anything right up against your Agapanthus in the border, as a little clear space around their base really helps the roots to develop well, and thus the whole plant benefits.
Note that, grown next to a sunny wall, the responsive flower stalks tend to lean away from it, in the direction of the light, often bowing down below a 45-degree angle.
Allow up to five years for agapanthus to reach their flowering potential: worth the wait!
Their popularity is demonstrated by the large number of Agapanthus cultivars, a few dozen of which hold an RHS Award of Garden Merit - in our opinion, they all deserve one for being easy to please, with lovely foliage and about four months a year of flowers.
Agapanthus are in the Amaryllidaceae, which is not closely related to lilies (Liliaceae family). They come from South Africa, and were brought back to Europe in the 17th century.
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