Summer’s SUPERSTARS
Dazzling agapanthus put on a display like no other – and it’s starting right now
OVER the past few years I’ve lost count of the number of people who have stopped by my front garden to admire a massive clump of agapanthus. Their response is understandable. It’s a dramatic sight in mid-summer, with 15 to 20 heads of snowy-white flowers carried on chest-high stems.
I have a feeling that my popularity among locals is about to tumble, following my decision to relocate this striking perennial to my back garden. Sadly, the agapanthus had completely taken over, smothering other plants and forcing out edging tiles.
It didn’t want to leave its prime location without a fight. In the end, I managed to lever the entire clump out with a hefty crowbar.
The entire thing would take up far too much room in the back garden, so I divided it into smaller sections. After planting, watering and feeding copiously, the agapanthus has settled in. I had expected the shock of being moved to put it off flowering, but five stems are just about to flower.
Commonly known as lily of the Nile or African lilies, agapanthus are one of the superstars of summer. Their rounded heads of long-lasting flowers come in many of shades of purple, blue and white, and are hoisted into the air on slender stems between July and September, depending on variety.
Even when the flowers fade, many continue to add sculptural interest during the colder months thanks to their long-lasting seed heads. Most agapanthus have either dark green, strapshaped evergreen leaves, or grass-like foliage that dies back in late autumn.
A few are showier. The slender leaves of ‘Silver Moon’ are edged with silver, while ‘Argenteus Vittatus’ has 19in-long leaves with white borders and a central green stripe that’s yellow at the base.
Agapanthus are native to Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and other parts of southern Africa, where they can be found growing in a range of habitats. Evergreen ones tend to crop up in coastal areas, while deciduous species occur in moist grassland and inland mountainous regions.
They arrived in Britain at the end of the 17th Century. For a long time, these sunlovers were considered far too tender to survive outdoors and were generally treated as greenhouse or conservatory plants that were given an airing outdoors in summer.
A few gardeners were more adventurous. In 1856, Augustus Smith planted some Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis within Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Isles of Scilly. This gorgeous evergreen with blue flowers on 3ft stalks thrived in the clement climate and soon went native, self-seeding itself across the island. Great swathes can still be seen in the sandy dunes of the archipelago, but it’s not the only place to enjoy a dramatic display. Fairweather’s Garden Centre in the New Forest holds a UK National Collection, while varieties bred by Pine Cottage Plants in Devon can be viewed at the nursery from August 1 to 20.
The popularity of agapanthus soared during the 1950s, thanks to horticulturalist Lewis Palmer, who bred a range of hardy varieties with large heads of funnel-shaped flowers in shades of blue. ‘Headbourne Hybrids’ were an immediate hit and gave rise to many modern varieties. Today, more than 500 varieties are available in Britain, ranging in height from 7in to 5ft. Flower heads can measure anywhere from 4in to almost 10in across. Among the best white-flowered types are Agapanthus ‘Arctic Star’, ‘Windsor Grey’ and ‘Queen Mum’, a variety from Australia whose flowers have a blue base. ‘Ardenei Hybrid’ has slender 2ft-tall stems that carry small, completely round flower heads with purple-tipped buds that open to a snowy white.
Many come in shades of blue. ‘Margaret’ boasts heads of powderblue flowers on 3ft stems, and ‘Loch Hope’ is a deep azure blue. Introduced in 1972, ‘Bressingham Blue’ was bred by the late Alan Bloom at his nursery in Norfolk. Its 4ft stems hold large heads of dark violet flowers. For something really dark, check out ‘Back in Black’, a head-turner from Holland with dark purple flowers held on 25in-high black stems above equally dark strappy foliage.
Agapanthus like a really sunny spot and they’ll do well in just about any soil, as long as it’s free-draining. Taller ones are great in the middle of borders, while shorter varieties are best at the front of displays or planted alongside a path. Alternatively, grow compact varieties in 8in to 9in containers filled with gritty John Innes No 3 compost. Ensure plants never dry out completely, but don’t overwater as agapanthus hate to be waterlogged. In midautumn, move pots to a frost-free place.
Many varieties are completely hardy, but it still pays to give plants winter protection. Pile a thick carpet of bark mulch over deciduous plants, and mound it up around the leaves of evergreens.