The African lily has its natural origin in different altitudes of nature in South Africa. Although the African lily can be wintered relatively late and wintered out early, it does not tolerate severe frost.

The frost tolerance of evergreen species

Evergreen species of African lilies only tolerate temperatures that tend slightly into the negative range, since the cell structure of the soft leaves can generally be destroyed by frost. Plants that are brought into the winter quarters too late often show yellow leaves, which soon rot and die. The ideal temperature for wintering all African lilies is between 0 and 7 degrees Celsius. However, you should not subject these plants to temperatures that are too warm, otherwise the plants may develop yellow leaves and not bloom next summer.

Leaf-feeding agapanthus and frost

Due to their winter leaflessness, leaf-weeding Agapanthus can also tolerate slightly freezing temperatures for a short time. However, African lilies are generally only hardy outdoors in a mild, very sheltered location with a loose substrate without waterlogging.

The right care around the winter

You should observe the following factors when overwintering the African lily:

  • little to no water supply in winter quarters
  • Agapanthus overwinter as brightly as possible, leaf-weeding species can also overwinter in the dark
  • winter out if possible in cloudy weather

You can place your African lilies outdoors in spring as soon as there are no longer any strong night frosts to be expected. However, you should be careful not to choose a very sunny day for wintering out. Otherwise there may be yellow spots on the leaves as a result of "sunburn".

tips and tricks

The African lily is sometimes advertised in specialist shops as a hardy cultivated form. However, these promises can only be believed to a very limited extent. Better to play it safe and overwinter the African lily in a cool but frost-free winter quarters. If you think the climate at your location is mild enough to plant out, you can test this with little risk by planting out an offshoot propagated by dividing the rhizome. However, you should definitely choose a sheltered location without waterlogging.

Category:

Vegetable garden