Agapanthus and frost.
DAN WILSON
Posts: 111
in Plants
Guys - quick question.
****Im a Novice Gardener****
I am growing about 40 odd Agapathus seedlings which I grew from seeds found in Portugal.
They are growing well and are about 2 years old.
I have struggled to have room for them all inside (no greenhouse) and have left some outside.
I have no idea if they are of the hardy variety or not.
We had a hardish frost last week and the ones that I left outside appear unaffected. There have been a couple of frosts since. Still no damage.
Question - Am I able to conclude that they are Frost Hardy, or is this not a conclusion I can not jump to for any reason?
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Last edited: 08 November 2016 22:43:22
0
Posts
Understood.
Is your suspicion based on the origin? Its only that they were not growing wild they were planted in a resort tended by 1000's of gardeners? My understanding was that agapanthus are as likely as not to be hardy?
No not at all, its helpful. I have spent so much time faffing about with them I couldnt bear to lose them to a cold night! (Sad i know) Im sort of hoping they will be hardyish when adults so I can plant en masse as i have seen wonderful displays like that. One question - if they are not hardy why has the frost not killed them? I remember planting out some runner beans a week too early and a snap frost killed the lot on one night? This hasnt happened with the agapanthus - sorry for all the questions...
If you get a prolonged cold spell the soil and the roots as well as any leaves will freeze solid. This will really test your young agapanthus and may prove fatal. I grow them outdoors in the ground and some in containers, which go into the coldframe for the winter. They all do well but none originated in warmer climes. The only way to find out is to expose some of your babies to the cold - if you can face it.
The deciduous ones with thinner leaves tend to be more hardy than some others.