- How do agapanthus plants grow in this country?
- Where is the ideal location for the African lily?
- What is the right level of water supply?
- How is the African lily propagated?
- When is the best time for dividing and repotting?
- tips and tricks
The African lily, also known as Agapanthus after its Latin name, comes from South Africa and has also been cultivated in Central Europe for several centuries. The usually very robust plant produces magnificent flowers in midsummer and is relatively easy to propagate.
How do agapanthus plants grow in this country?
In Central Europe, the African lily can usually only be grown as a pot plant due to its sensitivity to frost. In extremely mild locations, some leaf-weeding species of the African lily can also be hardy if the temperatures do not fall below minus 15 degrees Celsius and the soil is loose and dry. Such overwintering successes in the open are among the exceptions with the African lily.
Where is the ideal location for the African lily?
The African lily loves full sun, but also gets along relatively well with partial shade. In completely shady locations, the container plant may not produce any flowers or the long inflorescences may stretch awkwardly towards the sun.
What is the right level of water supply?
From April to August you should water the plants generously once a week if they are placed under a roof or if they are dry. In small and heavily rooted containers, daily watering can also make sense when it is hot, provided that excess water can drain off and the roots do not become waterlogged. The plants bridge shorter dry periods with the water stored in the thick roots.
How is the African lily propagated?
Over time, the roots of the African lily crowd out any space for substrate in the container, which is why the African lily has to be reduced and propagated by division every few years. The seeds ripen on the inflorescences in late summer and autumn and can be harvested when the flowers are cut off rather late.
When is the best time for dividing and repotting?
After wintering out in April, the rhizomes can be roughly divided with a saw or axe, this does not have a negative effect on further plant growth. With this propagation method, there can only be one or two flowerless seasons before the plants have filled their new planter with roots a little more.
tips and tricks
Even in mild climates, there is a certain risk in planting an Agapanthus outdoors and overwintering it. If, due to the vigorous growth of the plants, you have surplus specimens after dividing and repotting the African lily, you can dare the experiment with a part in a protected location.