Treat yourself to an African lily

These flamboyant sun-lovers will brighten up a sunny, open spot. Val Bourne picks her favourites

These flamboyant sun-worshippers will brighten up a sunny, open spot

There’s nothing quite like an agapanthus for setting the garden alight. These South African beauties have pigment-packed petals that shimmer in overhead sunlight. They’re rugged plants with rubbery stems and sun- and rain-resistant flowers, so they prefer a sunny open site not a sheltered one. In their native land all agapanthus have a rainy season that prompts growth and flowers. The 6-10 species, depending on which botanist you believe, are found on both sides of The Cape, but the climate varies greatly. Agapanthus on the western side get most of their rainfall in winter, so they have lush, wide foliage and tend to be evergreen. Those on the eastern side of The Cape have colder winters and a summer rainy season. These agapanthus are deciduous and therefore hardier. Whichever side of The Cape they come from, they all get a dose of heavy rainfall during the year, so it’s a total myth that you should starve garden agapanthus. They need plenty of water to perform well and also flower far better when they’re given a potash-rich feed every two weeks.

Grow them in pots

You can grow agapanthus in any sunny spot but if you plant them in pots you can move them around to add a blast of colour to more sober parts of the garden. Besides, potted agapanthus gain extra height and look far more impressive. Choose a frosthardy pot with straight sides to prevent plants from getting blown over and use pot feet to improve

How to grow agapanthus

Give them a bright position. These plants enjoy an average of 8 to 10 hours of sunshine per day in their native land. drainages. When winter beckons, move your agapanthus into an unheated greenhouse, or lay pots on their sides in a sheltered spot to keep out winter wet. Agapanthus need dividing every third or fourth year, which involves sawing apart the woody rootstocks. Divide into large chunks and repot in John Innes No3 compost, ensuring pots are only slightly larger than the clumps to avoid plants producing lots of leaves and no f lowers.

The flowers are very bee-friendly and they cut well. Remove the spent flower heads, unless you want the seed heads. Their fleshy roots can suffer frost damage in severe winters so give them good drainage – a top dressing of coarse grit will help. A...