Agapanthus africanus (Blue African Lily, Blue Nile Lily, Agapnathus)

Michael's Opinion

This is a wonderful bulb, where I have seen it growing en masse naturalized in the dunes on Tresco Island off the coast of Cornwall, England. It is now harvested on Tresco as a cut-flower and shipped to markets in London on the same day. Although it is not supposed to be hardy in our zone 5 (USDA) garden we have had it flower (white form) for the past four years near a corner of the house under heavy mulch. For those not so fortunate an attempt at growing it in large pots is worth the effort.

Botanical Information

FamilyAmaryllidaceae
GenusAgapanthus
Speciesafricanus
SynonymsAgapanthus umbellatus
CategoryBulbs, Perennials, Tropicals

Details

USDA Hardiness Ref.
Canadian Hardiness ZoneRequires cool season protection under glass.
Canada Hardiness Ref.
RHS Hardiness ZoneH4
RHS Hardiness Ref.
Height.9 -1.2 m
Spread1 - 2 m
GrowthFast
Flowering PeriodJune, July, August, September

Description and Growing Information

CultivationMoisture retentive soils that are well drained and in harsher climates mulched heavily with the mulch scraped back in early spring.
PestsOccasional virus infections, remove and replace plants, planting in a fresh location.
Notable SpecimensTresco Abbey Gardens, Scilly Isles, Cornwall, England. Logan Botanic Garden, Drummore, Scotland. Lanhydrock Gardens, Cornwall, England. Trebah Garden Trust, Mawnan Smith, Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Trengwainton Garden, Madron, Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Leaf DescriptionLong, narrow, arching leaves 10–35 cm long and 1–2 cm broad.
Flower DescriptionAn umbel of 20-30 blue, funnel-shaped flowers, each flower 2.5–5 cm diameter.

Photographs