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Agapanthus

Sylvia WoolhouseSylvia Woolhouse Posts: 14
in Problem solving

These are plants I bought in the summer - beautiful blue flowers and dark healthy leaves - now these have turned yellow. Is it too late to feed them again or will this make them susceptible to damage in the winter? They are currently in my front garden - should I move them to my unheated greenhouse instead?

Advice appreciated!

Syldi

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Posts

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,395
    Sylvia - nearly all of my agapanthus are deciduous. At this time of year their leaves go yellow, i pull them off, i put the pots in a shady place where they will not get too wet and leave them alone til spring. In about March they start producing fresh leaves for the new season.



    Some are evergreen, and keep their leaves all winter. They normally have narrower leaves than the deciduous ones.
  • Sylvia WoolhouseSylvia Woolhouse Posts: 14

    Chicky - thank you for your e-mail - I shall move them to a more sheltered location - the greenhouse I think.

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,395
    a GH would be perfect - don't water them til the shoots start to show in spring, then get going with the feed and water for a great display next summerimage
  • gardenninggrannygardenninggranny Posts: 803

    Sylvia - I have some growing in the border, and I heap some compost on top of them for protection in the winter.  The ones growing in pots get moved to behind the greenhouse, mainly because they are so boring once the foliage has died down, but again I top up the pots with compost.  Mine bloomed well this summer so I shall continue this regime.  I believe they are one ofthose plants which need a restricted rootrun - too much space and they only produce leaves - but my border one seem to be OK.

  • * Red Dahlia ** Red Dahlia * Posts: 694

    Interesting post. I bought 2 bare roots this year, I got leaves and growth but no flowers and was disappointed with the size. These are in compost in an unheateffd greenhouse to over winter, what did I do wrong?? 

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,395

    Red - a few of mine have been bareroots - i got flowers from a couple in year 2, and all in year 3 - something to look forward toimageimage

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391

    I echo Verdun's advice about not over-potting.  They flower quicker when restricted. 

    Mine were grown from seed (Headbourne hybrids), were potted-on to slightly larger pots each year and flowered in year 3.  They lose all of their leaves in winter as do most other varieties.  Even 'evergreen' varieties will lose them in an extended spell of hard frost.  I must say I'm going to remove most of mine from the borders as the roots of Headbourne types become very thuggish (thick as a pencil and spread about 3 times are far underground as the visible parts on top.  There's a 'dead zone' around them all now which only the (even more thuggish) Montbretia will grow in.  I'll get some of the daintier varieties instead I think.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • * Red Dahlia ** Red Dahlia * Posts: 694

    thanks, I thought it was me trying too hard. They were only in about 1 litre pots and good compost, they were near my veg so may well have had the odd treat of tomato feed as my other half seemed to think everything would do better that way. I will keep everything crossed for this coming year then. Shall I leave in snall pots or bigger tubs or border???? They were 50p so I took a gamble. Yes yes yes I know I am cheap, all my posts are about being canny and making more or saving and I'm sorry!

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,395

    I'd keep them in the small pots - they flower better if they are pot boundimage

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