The agapanthus is often referred to as the African lily in this country due to its original distribution area in South Africa. The flowering plant, which is not particularly frost hardy, is available in two different subcategories as an evergreen and as a herbaceous plant that overwinters purely in the bulbous root rhizomes.

Cultivation from tubers versus sowing

The sowing of the seeds of the African lily is basically possible with little special knowledge, but this propagation method is not very popular due to the long time of 4 to 6 years until the first flowering. In any case, the bulbous rhizome in the planter with enough moisture and nutrients continues to grow so much that the bulbs have to be divided every few years.

The preparation of suitable planters

The planter for the African lily should be neither too small nor too generous. While a planter that is too small does not offer enough space for soil and water, large plant buckets lack the narrowness around the rhizome that stimulates the plants to bloom. Drainage holes for excess water should definitely be integrated in the lower area of the planter, as the African lily sometimes reacts to waterlogging with yellowing of the leaves. You can use ordinary garden soil as a plant substrate when planting the tubers, but it should be as loose as possible and not too loamy.

Multiply the African lily by division

The frost-free overwintering of the rhizome is very important when caring for the Agapanthus. However, these plants must not be overwintered at temperatures well above 7 degrees Celsius, otherwise there may be no flowers during the actual flowering period in summer. Basically, the following should be observed when dividing the African lily rhizome:

  • freshly divided specimens sometimes do not flower again until the second year in a row
  • spades, splitting axes or saws are suitable tools
  • the individual sections should not be too small

tips and tricks

The best time to plant the tubers is spring. If you receive the tubers in autumn, they should ideally be planted in soil and overwintered like existing plants.

Category:

Vegetable garden