One of my $.99 treasures is an agapanthus, Lily of the Nile. It's done
blooming, but the foliage looks great. I looked it up in the various
references I have here at home, but am still not sure how to deal with it
properly. I get the general idea that I hold it over in the house for the
winter, then move it out for the summer, but....
Does it go dormant? Or should I treat it like a growing houseplant, with
regular watering and diluted feeding?
I have a choice of spots for it in the house--moderately bright and 70
degrees, or brighter and 75-77 degrees. Which would be better?
When do I move it out for the summer? Can it take a bit of cooler weather
(without frost), or should I wait until it's very mild and warm?
Do I leave it in the pot for the summer? I'm guessing yes, because I read
it prefers to be somewhat potbound.
Thanks for any information those of you with experience with this plant can
give me. I've lusted after them for years, but was never willing to pay
full price.
Sue
ScarletSage@att.net
Zone 6, south-central PA
I had some growing at my other house that survived outside all year
round...I would think you could summer it outside like an Amaryllis and
bring it back in...I don't think they need a dormant period, but I'll leave
that to the Californians to give you a definitive answer on...
Debbie in Williamsburg, VA where the first daffs have finally opened, but
most are still barely above ground!
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@lsv.uky.edu] On Behalf Of
ScarletSage
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 2:51 PM
To: GARDENS@lsv.uky.edu
Subject: Agapanthus
One of my $.99 treasures is an agapanthus, Lily of the Nile. It's done
blooming, but the foliage looks great. I looked it up in the various
references I have here at home, but am still not sure how to deal with it
properly. I get the general idea that I hold it over in the house for the
winter, then move it out for the summer, but....
Does it go dormant? Or should I treat it like a growing houseplant, with
regular watering and diluted feeding?
I have a choice of spots for it in the house--moderately bright and 70
degrees, or brighter and 75-77 degrees. Which would be better?
When do I move it out for the summer? Can it take a bit of cooler weather
(without frost), or should I wait until it's very mild and warm?
Do I leave it in the pot for the summer? I'm guessing yes, because I read
it prefers to be somewhat potbound.
Thanks for any information those of you with experience with this plant can
give me. I've lusted after them for years, but was never willing to pay
full price.
Sue
ScarletSage@att.net
Zone 6, south-central PA
In a message dated 2/9/01 11:51:30 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ScarletSage@ATT.NET writes:
Agapanthus likes a lot of bright light to bloom best (a summer bloomer). In
the house for the winter months, a brightly lit room with 60-75*F temps is
good. Treat like a regular houseplant. It is evergreen. Watch for mealybug
infestation. It will take temps down to below freezing for short periods in
the ground. I would suggest gradually moving it from a 2 gal size container
to a 5 gal size over a summer growth period. The standard Agapanthus can get
pretty big. Clump size to 2-3' across & flower stalk to 3-4" high. Growing in
a pot will limit it's size somewhat. They can be divided real easy. The
Apartment complex I live in, has them everywhere. Whenever another plant
dies, the gardeners split an older Agapanthus & plant divisions in its
place. No imagination!!! As I speak they have had many clumps laying on top
of the ground for the past 2-3 weeks waiting to be planted. Tough plant!!!!.
Should send you some. :) Hope this has helped.
Glenn
---Glenn Park wrote:
Glenn, I'm thinking agapanthus perform somewhat differently in colder climates
than they do in California. I have never tried to grow one as a houseplant
(didn't know you could) but I have a couple varieties I grow outside. Not all are
winter hardy in even my zone 8 climate, so it might make sense for Sue to
continue to keep it containerized, enjoy it inside during the winter months and
transport it outside for a summer vacation.
They sure aren't evergreen here - at the first frost the foliage melts into a
slimy pile, much like hostas. They develop mammoth root systems and I'd think
dividing a mature clump like you describe would be a major undertaking.. I plant
them in full sun out in my border and they do give a wonderful show of color when
they bloom. I have a small growing white one that is the center of a permanent
container, as well as a sky blue one called 'Peter Pan' that is also small
growing. Last year I got a new variety called 'Storm Cloud' - it is supposed to
be fullsize and flowers a deep dark blue. Can't wait to see it bloom! FWIW, the
Headbourne Hybrids are reputed to be the most cold hardy and may even withstand
zone 6 winters.
Pam - gardengal
Does this plant continue to bloom all summer once it starts? I always
thought it was a bulb and would only bloom once... but just read an article
that says they are perennials (tender) that have a long bloom period. I
need something showy like these for urns in a pool area -- have always liked
Agapanthus (Blue Nile Lily?), but have never grown it.
karen in NJ
Karen,
Agapanthus is a perennial that blooms all summer down here in FL. The
only problem I see with it is its smell. The garlic smell can overwhelm
a small area with only a very few plants. The neighbors dug all theirs
out because it smelled so bad they couldn't sit out on the deck.
Granted out humidity and long growing season may make the stuff more
odiferous than it would be for you.
Anne in FL (where the peregrina is growing!)
Hi Anne and Karen,
Agapanthus in Florida is stinky? It blooms all summer here too but
no scent, good or bad. I've got short Peter Pans, a darker blue "Storm
Clouds" and the usual lavender blue ones. No scent though. So easy to grow
that they use them in street meridians.
Marcelle
Maybe the neighbor had "Society Garlic"?
Marcelle
There are 10 kinds of people in this world,
those who understand binary numbers and those who don t.
I have 2 different varieties and mine don't have any scent either.
Barbara A. on Southcentral Virginia, Zone 7 where it's raining again.
Marcelle wrote:
This is interesting....I was trying to remember if I ever noticed Agapanthus
having a scent when I had them and I don't remember any.
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of
Barbara Anders
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 3:55 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Agapanthus
I have 2 different varieties and mine don't have any scent either.
Barbara A. on Southcentral Virginia, Zone 7 where it's raining again.
Marcelle wrote:
Society Garlic is a possibility. Her flowers looked more like the
Agapanthus, fuller and bigger than the society garlic I have seen
elsewhere, and that is what she called them. Both flowers are of the
Lileaceae family and both from south Africa. Tulbaghia is the more
odiferous. I wonder if they came to her mislabeled or if they are sold
under both names at nurseries down here (she bough them before the
nursery giants came to be). It has been quite a few years since they
have been gone, so I have no way of checking. Heck she has tried roses,
lantana and some rather odd ornamentals in that bed, only to pull them
out. It was to wet for most ant the year of the ornamentals to dry. I
haven't been back there in a couple of years (school has taken over my
life), wonder what is back there now?
Anne in FL
Where are YOU growing them, Marcelle? Maybe the heat and humidity of
Florida is part of the "problem".
karen, nj
but
Hi Karen,
I'm in Southern California and agapanthus are everywhere.
Absolutely a no care plant. Btw, Sunset Western Garden book says they're
excellent for poolside. Betcha' Anne is right about her neighbor's plants
being mislabeled. I've seen variegated agapanthus at the nursery and they
look similar to Society Garlic.
Marcelle
There are 10 kinds of people in this world,
those who understand binary numbers and those who don t.
Hi,
Some Agapanthus have seed pods but most do not. At least that's what
I see in my own garden and at several local businesses. Is anyone
familiar with why this occurs? I even have one plant (at least I
think its one plant) that has one flower with seed pods and two
without.
Inquiring minds want to know...
Geo/
