Agapanthus

I had seen some ads about Summer blooming bulbs and decided I'd like to try some. The Agapanthus columba (African blue lily) was described as a pretty impressive plant that produced 7" globes atop 27" stems but the thing that really attracted me was that they were featured in containers alone or with other plants.

I bought some and potted them up 2 years ago but nothing really happened that first year. I overwintered them in our unheated garage in the containers last winter and brought them out again this Spring. They immediately put on a growth spurt and today are over 3' with 7" to 9" balls on top. The flowers are quite attractive with "florets with light blue centres and violet-blue edges" (just like the catalogue said).

This year, I had them in containers by themselves. Perhaps next year, I'll add other plants to the container. If I add other plants to the container, I'll have to ensure that the Agapanthus is centred so that the container will look OK from any side as the container needs to be rotated to prevent the plant from leaning. I'm always a little reticent to mess with something that I thought was pretty good as it was, but perhaps I'll try it with one of the 3 containers.

I add a granulated slow release fertilizer twice a year and water when needed. Haven't needed to water much this year. I think overwintering in the garage is pretty critical as the Agapanthus is a tender perennial. I water plants in the garage a few times over the winter to ensure that they don't dry out.