Agapanthus tips & tricks

Water and feed agapanthus well throughout the summer growing season for the best possible flower display.

These wonderful, spectacular beauties, also known as African lilies, erupt in mid to late summer in a positive fireworks display of blue flowers. As well as clear blue, you’ll find varieties in near-black, lilac, deepest navy blue and white; it’s quite a bewildering selection, so one of the best ways to make up your mind which to have is to pop down to the garden centre here in Pickering and have a look at our in-flower plants. Then you can see exactly what you’re getting – and even better, you get some instant colour for your garden right away!

Agapanthus really enjoy growing in containers, as they flower best with their roots a little restricted. This means you can branch out and grow the frost-tender, more delicate varieties too as you can bring them in under cover in winter.

But there are plenty of hardy varieties you can grow outside, too, when they’ll come back year after year in ever-expanding clumps. Make sure you give your agapanthus your sunniest spot and they’ll reward you with dozens of long-lasting flowers.

In their native South Africa, agapanthus enjoy abundant rainfall in summer, so that’s when to cosset them a little. Water them well, keeping the soil or compost consistently moist from now till September; agapanthus in pots may need daily watering, while in the garden they’ll require a good soaking once a week.

While you’re at it, add a capful or two of liquid tomato feed to the watering can once a fortnight (read the instructions on the packet for exact dosages). This will give them the nutrients they need to produce plenty of dazzling flowers. Remember to dead-head regularly and they’ll keep coming back, giving you a breathtaking display that lasts all summer.