Agapanthus

Agapanthus, Lily of the Nile, is neither a lily nor does it  come from the Nile. It is in the family of the Amaryllis and it hails from South Africa. They come in both white and blue.  I grow some in pots and some in the ground. The ones in the pots grow better. The reason is probably sun.

Through the years, the place where the ones in the ground are has gradually gotten shadier. Agapanthus need full sun and regular water. They have thick roots and resent too frequent resettlement and may not bloom as readily when moved.

In warmer areas Agapanthus are evergreen but here in east  Alabama zone 8a, the foliage dies back, but arises the next year to bloom again.

Agapanthus

 

Agapanthus, also known as Lily of the Nile, is from Africa, as you probably suspect.It is a beautiful striking plant with that most coveted of flower colors in the garden--blue or blue/violet. I grew mine for years in a pt, starting with 2 or 3 bulbs in a 20 inch pot. Over time the pot filled with offsets and the size of the flowers began to decline. I am always overcrowded in the greenhouse, and so I decided to try them outside. It is written that they bloom better in a pot where the roots are crowded, which may be true, but they bloom just fine in average garden soil, with only a minimum of care. And another coveted feature is that they get better with age. Bigger flowers, taller sturdier stalks,and continue to multiply.
The flowers are beautiful as cut flowers and last about a week. If allowed to mature in the garden, the seed (there is usually only 2 or 3 seed pods), the sputnik type flower spike dries and is a great addition to dried arrangements. Plus not everybody grows them, and they flower in zone 8 in June/july, a time when most bulbs are done and the blue adds needed coolness to the garden.

Agapanthus

 

These are some flower stalks of Agapanthus in a bed in front of Olive Garden in Opelika,AL. If they had set seed, which these did not, the pods would be on the ends of the sputnik branches. The flowers are usually blue but sometimes white and last a long time either on the plant or in arrangements. For several years I grew Agapanthus in the greenhouse and the bloom stalks would be 3 or 4 feet tall. Finally, in a space crucnh in the greenhouse, I put them in the ground. they have survived and bloomed, but a only a shadow of their former selves. I guess they would have benefitted from better soil.