Growing Agapanthus.............

I have a thing about growing Agapanthus which of course is not hardy here. I tried a couple of times in pots and no success.The growing season is just too short to get to a floweringstage. 2 years ago I planted anew and then it spent the winter in the unheated porch and started sprouting in March but still no flower stage- it was a cold, wet spring and a lot of the summer too. Again it was brought in the porch last fall and shoved under the bench to hibernate, BUT this has been a very mild winter and I have been turning on the heat in the porch and today I happened to be picking up something and looked under the bench and guess what!!!!!!!!!!!!!2 leaves about 6 inches long and a few more poking up an inch or two. So I pulled it out and watered it and we will see what happens.


Sorry for some reason the image would not come up.

This message was edited Jan 31, 2006 3:44 PM

trrying to post the pic again - it was OK in the test thread!

I couldn't post any pictures in my journal earlier today either Carol. Think Dave is having some trouble sorting out a few bugs in the system.

I left a couple of agapanthus in the ground last fall. Silly of me really, but just felt like pushing the envelope. I really wonder what will happen to yours. Wouldn't it be exciting if it kept going and bloomed for you. If it gets real cold again, you could bring it in the house?

Yes I will have to keep it warm but I have been turning on the heat in the porch everymorning. And mostly the temps here have been at or above 0 and have not checked what it is doing at nite but I doubt it is going below freezing in the porch Maybe should bring it in anyway - I can put it in the bathroom. Well it is 2 mos ahea of where it was last year so there is hope!

I started some from seed last spring and have kept them in the Florida room over the winter where they are still going strong. I wonder if letting them go year round is better or worse for them? Mine haven't bloomed yet as this will only be the 2nd year for them now but I'm hoping to see something on them this season.

I brought mine into the house - it is living in my small main floor bathroom which has a big south glass block window and is fairly warm. It is doing very nicely - has put up quite a few new shoots - so I hope the extra couple of months might mean I will see flowers this year.Last year spring was very wet and cold and I made the mistake of putting it outside too soon - this year it wont go out until Im sure it is nice and warm.
There are both evergreen and decidious Agapanthus and mine is decidious so no point in trying to keep it growing all year. Would probably have better luck with an evergreen type but finding the bulbs(?) at all is a victory.

Apparently they have hybridized a hardy agapanthus, available at High Country Gardens

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/569209/

I wonder if it would survive in your climate? ....

I'd give it a try. If I could buy it somewhere.

I have a mini one that I'm overwintering in the basement for the second year. Last year it didn't bloom for me either. I just asked the question to someone who grows them in Australia to see what the secret is to get them to bloom. When I get an answer I will post it here.
:) Donna

Here is the Agapanthus almost 2 weeks after I brought it into the house.

Carol here is what the person said:

Aggies are great in pots and tubs. In fact that's the best way to grow them in areas with hard winters. Deciduous ones are good because they don't need to be overwintered in a glasshouse - once the leaves have died back they can be put in a garage, shed, cellar or whatever, provided that protects them from freezing through, and kept dry but not desiccated.

On the other hand the deciduous ones need a coldish winter to make them flower (here gets down to -1C which is fine for both deciduous and evergreen ones). Ag. praecox ssp orientalis (the big evergreen ones) is the only kind which can grow and flower in the tropics here (e.g. North Queensland): the rest either rot or just make leaves.

They need lots of feeding though to keep them flowering each year, and full sun for at least half the day.

:) Donna

Guess I better start feeding it!

I had it in a sunny east kitchen window but moved it back to the bathroom when it got so cold.

Me too, bring on the fertilizer. I don't know which type I have but it's been growing well so far what ever it is!

I have a feeling mine won't need any fertilizer. How many bulbs are in that pot Carol?

Sunkeeper that looks great - is that an evergreen or decidious type?How long has it been 'greening'?

Echoes there are 3 I think.

Update: Well it has been in the house for 6 weeks now and is looking good - I have been feeding it with whatever I have around which at the moment is Cactus food-2-7-7-. However I have 2 Schultz liquid plant food, one is all purpose 10-15-10 , the other is Bloom Plus 5-30-5. so I think I will change - which do you think will be best.

This is more growth than it had the first 2 summers. and it is only early March. Maybe this is year for flowers?????????????

Can you tell I am not very scientific about fertilizers? LOL!

This message was edited Mar 8, 2006 5:48 PM

Carol, I use a lot of S10-15-10. It is so easy instead of mixing powders. It works great on all my seedlings under lights too. Anyway, my AVs ad Flowering Maples are blooming most of the winter with it. Also had more Hoyas and brugs bloom off and on and a few other goodies.

Looking good, Carol! I guess I better bring my mini one closer to the light and start watering more.
:) Donna

I haven't a clue which kind it is I have but they are still growing well. I'll pour some more fertilizer to them and we'll see what happens. I started them from seed last year, any idea how long they might take to bloom?

Sunkeeper no idea 'cause I have never had one bloom. Got such an early start this year I am hoping......................

Agapanthus update - 2 mos later. Still too cool to put it outside - maybe move it into the back porch in a week or two.

Carol yours is doing much better than mine. I better step up my program...lol.
:) Donna

Oh Carol, look what I found. How is yours doing now? I hope it will bloom, because I'm pretty sure mine won't.

Have been looking for this here and there. How are the collective agapathus' grown this summer. any blooms? Carol, Sunkeeper, Donna, Brenda???

No agapanthus in my garden. do have other So. African wild flowers. Red Hot Poker doing very well. Crocrosmia pretty near blooming. Nice not to have to bring so many things in for the winter.

I gave up on agapanthus but with all your collective plabnts, think I'll try again.

inanda

I gave up too Ginny!

Oh glory be, mine is going to bloom this year. Stay tuned. It has been neglected and left in the garden for something like three years now.

Bought the bulb from Botanus in 2004 and it didn't bloom all summer, so I planted it in a flower bed in spring of 2005 and probably mulched it that first year. Last winter was not as mild as the previous one, but it must have acclimatized enough. Maybe the hardiness of this plant is just underestimated. Long time coming, but finally it's blooming.

A full view.

Lucky you!

Totally amazing. Maybe I'll try again.... that is wonderful. So now you def. have a microclimate or........ maybe Botanus sent you a Northern agapanthus.. lol Or maybe it is your gardening skills/mulch etc etc

It is amazing, yes, but more by luck as Carol said, than by care or skill.