An absolute garden must-have, whether planted in the ground or in a pot, Agapanthus bring colour and structure to the party. Flowering from mid-summer to late autumn, Agapanthus flowers sit like fireworks on tall sturdy stems that rise above thick, strappy green leaves. ‘Poppin Purple’ is a particularly striking shade of violet that starts off as dark purple-black buds before opening its tubular flowers. Pollinators love them so they’re not only good for us Gardeners but great for the environment too. After flowering, their ornamental seed heads are equally attractive, adding ongoing visual interest late into the year.
Agapanthus looks particularly attractive planted alongside yellow and orange flowered plants like Kniphofia aka Red Hot Pokers, Crocosmia and Rudbeckia. It’s an easy addition to a tropical planting style or a more Mediterranean-style aesthetic.
Known commonly as the African lily, they’re not really lilies at all, so don’t be deceived. They’re native to Southern Africa where they grow in clumps in free-draining soil in full sun. Given their hot origins, they’re pretty well adapted to the British climate, although in colder parts of the country they may die back over winter. If there’s risk of hard frost or deep snow where you live, it's worth mulching your plants, or bringing them under cover.
Agapanthus grow well in pots. While you can leave yours in its nursery pot, we recommend planting it up directly into a large decorative pot with drainage holes, so that it can really start living its best life. Either way it's likely to need repotting every two to three years. At this point you might need to really cut back the root ball or divide the clump so that it has more room to grow. When planting it out we suggest using John Innes No 3 potting compost, which is a soil based compost ideal for more established plants, trees and shrubs.
Did you know?
The genus name Agapanthus is made up from two words: the ancient Greek word for love, ‘agápē’, and ‘ánthos’, meaning flower. The botanists who named them weren’t wrong, we love these flowers!
Easy care
Bright light
Watering
Pruning
