Agapanthus – All You
Need To Know
Agapanthus Guide
The Agapanthus is undoubtedly one of our indigenous botanical treasures. It has been exported to all corners of the earth, but occurs naturally only in southern Africa, where it grows in the wild in all our provinces except the Northern Cape, as well as in Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.
The name agapanthus comes from the Greek words agapé (love) and anthos (flower), therefore literally meaning “flower of love”. Locally it is often referred to as blue lily, isicakathi (Xhosa) and ubani (Zulu), while in Europe and America it is popularly known as the African lily.
Agapanthus produce large clusters (known as umbrels) of funnel-shaped flowers at the end of a tall stem. The colour of Agapanthus flowers range from the well-known blue-purple hues to white, and even pink varieties, and the plants range in height from just 20cm for certain dwarf varieties to up to 2m for larger varieties. They make excellent cut flowers and will last for up to 10 days in a vase of water, although the darker coloured varieties tend to fade when brought indoors.
Fun Fact:
The Agapanthus is the “Flower of Love”, it’s name is derived from Greek ”Agap” meaning love
Types of Agapanthus
The Agapanthus family includes two evergreen species, namely Agapanthus africanus and Agapanthus praecox, and four deciduous species – Agapanthus campanulatus, Agapanthus caulescens, Agapanthus coddii and Agapanthus inapertus. The evergreen species are indigenous to the winter rainfall areas of our country, while the deciduous species hail from the summer rainfall areas of southern Africa. Breeding programmes have given rise to a wide variety of exciting dwarf and medium high Agapanthus with large blooms.
Where to plant Agapanthus
Agapanthus is a very undemanding plant which can withstand periods of drought very well due to its thick, fleshy roots where it stores water and food. However, they will thrive if planted in full sun in rich, well drained soil with plenty of compost. The larger varieties work very well when planted en masse at the back of garden beds, while the smaller varieties work well as an edging plant and in rockeries. Agapanthus praecox also helps to prevent soil erosion on banks in your garden and they fare well in seaside gardens as they are not susceptible to the strong winds and salty air in these settings.
Basic care of Agapanthus
- Water agapanthus deeply once a week during spring and summer (twice a week if the weather is very hot and dry).
- Feed agapanthus once every two weeks during spring and early summer with a balanced slow release fertiliser like 3:1:5.
- In very cold areas, protect agapanthus rhizomes from frost by applying a thick layer of straw or dry sand around the plants before winter. Remove this layer in spring when plants begin to grow again.
- Lift and divide (see “Lift and divide”) evergreen varieties once every four years to encourage maximum flowering.
- Remove faded flower heads to prevent the plants from self-seeding and taking over your garden.
Buy Plants Wholesale
Wholesale plants are available for governments, civic associations and NPOs.