AGAPANTHUS
DAN WILSON
Posts: 111
in Plants
Hi,
Last year I brought back an Agapanthus seed head from Portugal. Its from a beautiful blue purple variety grown in large beds of just this one type of plant they look phenomenal. In April I planted the seeds in potting compost, and they have taken a month or so to start sprouting. About half have started to grow and are now sporting little green shoots. I should have about 60 that will have shoots in plugs about 3cm square.
What I need to know is what do I do with these seedlings to take them from their current state as tiny one shoot seedlings to a large deep bed of agapathus plants in the garden, I know it will take time but just need some guidance on what to do with them to arrive at the finished product?
Kind regards
Dan
0
Posts
Dan, I grew all of mine from seed and the trick is to pot them on gradually into slightly larger sized pots when the roots fill the one they are in. Keep them in pots until they produce their first flower (which will take 3 years or so) before planting them close together in the garden. If the seed head was from a wild one in Portugal, protect them from frost as those are tender plants. Once mature and planted in the garden they will die back completely in winter here but if you cover them with a mulch they should come back each spring. They need good drainage so don't plant them in areas which are wet and boggy in winter.
Cheers Bob, the seed head came from a planted bed of agapanthus at a resort, does that mean it will still be tender? If so how do I protect from frost once planted in the garden? Do I wait for them to die back then lob the mulch on or mulch around the leaves?
Yep, after the first frost the leaves will turn mushy and can be easily cleared away, then mulch over the whole bed with a good 4 inches or so of something like bark chippings or home-made compost. The mulch is just to stop the crowns of the plants from freezing. Once they are a few years old they become a bit tougher and don't need so much attention.
I've found a general rule of thumb for agapanthus hardiness is: the narrower the leaves, generally the hardier they are.