Agapanthus bulbs.

Do Agapanthus make an actual bulb? I see them described as rhizomatous, but does the rhizome resemble a bulb?

Any links to a picture of one? (The parts below ground, not the flower.)

Robert.

I ordered one blue and one white for this spring. It is considered a perennial and has roots that can be divided similar to a day lily.

beaker, you bought already? i have so many of those blue/lavender ones...

robert, rhizomes they are, and i will take a photo tomorrow.

annapet, I would love 1 or 2 of your agapanthus. They do well in houston. Not knowing what in the heck I was doing, I bought some allium late last year to get that lolipop look but as I am learning the hard/expensive way, Houston is too hot. Here this is only March and the leaves are pretty crispy looking and everything around it is thriving. I had posted a question in the Texas forum, about who grew alliums in z9. Nobody answered. If there is anybody out there that would want the allium for SASE, maybe I can pull them and send to a better home, if feasible.

Agapanthus would give me the same look, like blue popsicles and I do know for a fact that they grow here.

Raydio, they aren't true blubs, large underground fleshy stem would be the most accurate description. They are monocots, if you cut back the leaves then new leaves come up from the middle of the fleshy stem and create new layers in the underground stem, food and water storage for lean times. They come from S.Africa, warm wet summers.

The shape of them reminds me of Amaryllis, (not hippeastrum), I took some pics of my A. Purple Cloud, in a pot in the greenhouse and the fleshy 'bulbs' are above ground. It is like a swollen stem with fibres around it.

I grew some from seed off a tall white one 2 years ago, some are still in 3" pots and needed potting on a year ago, I shook the soil off, the roots are similar to Amaryllis bulbs. These have been outside through all our cold weather.

W. what is the vine around the agapanthus? nice looking

It's an Ivy, it does have a name but I don't remember it off hand. It keeps rooting in the pot.

OK. I guess I've lost my Agapanthus.

I'm thinking the bulbs are Amaryllis belladonna because of the way they don't do so well here outdoors (winters too cold?) and how they've never bloomed (I watered them all summer). They have very thin layers on the bulb and they have that cottony, pithy fiberousness to them. The outer layer was a nice even brown before I removed it. I unpotted them to check the roots and had to treat for fungus. This was brought on by being too cold and wet (had to bring the pot in after 10 days of nice outdoor warmth.)

I'm going to try to get them to root now and let them go dry and bake them this summer to see if they'll flower.


Here's pix of the bulbs in question.

A closer look.

Thanks to all of you who answered and posted pix.

Robert.

Robert they do look a similar shape to mine, I noticed the base of the swollen 'bulb' seemed to be just above soil level, and narrow, almost like you could wobble it. Some are shy to flower, it depends much on the variety I think as I have read that some flower more reliably. I have had Purple Cloud 7 years, not in flower when I got it as it was MO. The original bulb seemed to disappear and new ones grow around it, there is a hard hollow in the middle. It flowered possibly 2 or 3 years ago, due for another!

Here's some different types

http://www.broadleighbulbs.co.uk/plantlistpages/agapanthus.htm

This gives growing info, you may be watering them too much, like Amaryllis they will need free draining and just moist soil, these type of roots seek out moisture under rocks.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/agapanafric.htm

Beautiful Agas at Broadleigh. The deep purples and blues have my attention.

One thing that is special about the bloom stalk of the Aga is how sturdy it is. At the garden center I worked in, some of the guys would transport them by grabbing the stalk! I don't reccommend this, I just report it.

Robert.

Just checked with my local plant shop and in two weeks they'll be getting in A. x "Midnight Blue" from Monrovia.


http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/67f84a5ebda3df3a88256f9d006b9c7c/9d7fa70e58143e3d8825684d00702eec!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,agapanthus


One of them is coming to live with me.

Robert.

vossner,
I would love the allium..........trade or postage........ and they do well here....didn't I see in another thread that you were looking for white yarrow?.It grows wild here I have lots if u still need it

jackie, i will dig them out tomorrow, ck that they are in good condition and let you know. I would be interested in the white yarrow. talk to you tomorrow.

I got the "Midknight Blue" Agapanthus with four nice shoots coming. I'm debating about whether I'll put it in the ground or not. Don't want the voles to get it ($14.99 !)

I also discovered the remnants of the Agapanthus that has struggled for years with my abuse. I had run the tiller over them.....(I'm terrible sometimes) and found htem poking their heads up through the soil to grow in our current heatwave (80s F). I potted up two little plants.

The bulbs "in question" have gone completely dormant now and I'll be holding them soiless till later in the summer when I'll pot them and see if they bloom. I still have my pot of A. belladonna that overwintered indoors and it's still growing.


Robert.

My Agapanthus is in bloom.

Unbelievable! Mine are just growing their leaves, a few inches tall! Blooming well too by the looks, the good old potbound trick?

Raydio, how big a pot is that and how many bulbs do you have in it?

I bought the Agapanthus already budded in Monrovia's #1 pot (a "one-gallon") and transferred it to the 10" clay after a couple weeks.

There are quite a few crowns to it. Too many to count really, but the pot was full and rootbound.

Robert.

To share my experience with Ags.
this pic shows a mixed bed ..the Aggies are lining the bottom of the fence.
These plants, all along the fence line, were raise from seed, to this state, in 1 year,
From Autumn sowing, till next Autumn planting out, in the row.

they grow very well in Northern Sydney, where i am.
There is a nice one i'd like to try that's dark purplish.
Aggies , are used everywhere round here.
they're lovely.

Great work with the Aggies and your bed is nice too. (Love the marigolds!) Your warm climate seems to be what Agapanthus wants!

The Aga i pictured has campanulatus blood in it and will surely overwinter here, but I may take it in anyway. Can't decide.

Same as with my Hymenocallis x festalis which has just bloomed: if I take it in, I'll have flowers so much sooner!

Robert.

Oh nice photos you all have send.
Have one question, plantet some rizones/bulbs of the white form yesterday. They seem like they were cut, and only the top was left.
Will these bloom this year, or do they need to mature for some years.
Monica

Hi Monica, some varieties will flower better than others. I grew some mixed species from seed and 2 of them flowered in less than 2 years. I have an Agapanthus Purple Cloud which now has many 'bulb's and is very large, but has only ever had one flower. Some will do better in warmer climates.

Your bulb may have had the foliage removed, when lifted this will help the roots to regrow ans it will grow more leaves.

This is my species

Hi wallaby
That is a nice one.
Maybe I`ll be lucky this year, always loved this plant but never did come arround planting it.
This is how it will look like. Does not have a precise name, it only says white.

Monica, your plant may take some time to establish. Some are not very hardy, so if you can keep it from very cold weather in the winter it might do better.

Here is a site with a lot of varieties to make everyone want them! I want A. inapertus Sky, I think it flowers well too

http://www.somethingforthegarden.co.uk/acatalog/Agapanthus.html

Some more info an Agapanthus

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/agapanholland.htm

Janet

Thanks for the info, fell more secure now.
Oh no, I can se some sleapless nights coming, they are beautiful!
Remember seeing inapertus Sky, in a photo years ago, but did not know the name. Will have to get one, that is for sure :o)

Join the club!

Thanks, I am smitten to to bones now.
DG is endid a dangerous place LOL