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Agapanthus.

(39 Posts)
Cherrytree59 Mon 01-Jul-19 12:15:34

At a church plant sale yesterday bought an Agapanthus in a large(ish) plastic pot.

It does look like it could be split in to 3.

Would it be best at least for this year to be left as it is and/or split in the autumn?

I would like to grow my Agapanthus in a container and wonder if any GNers had success with growing theirs in a pot as opposed to in the ground.

It is green and healthy looking but without any sign of flowers at the moment, so I am wondering if it will probably not flower until next year.

Would be grateful for any tips or any advice.

justanovice Wed 17-Jul-19 12:28:23

Agapanthus are easy to grow as long as you feed and water the ones in pots regularly and give the winter protection. Those in the garden seem to look after themselves. I live in the north of England but they seem very happy here and I have far too many of them so much so that my DH has referred to them as weeds?

Resurgam123 Wed 17-Jul-19 10:58:19

These comments on garden stuff on here as are the BBC Gardeners World Forum, full of good info.

henetha Wed 17-Jul-19 10:52:52

I planted three agapanthus in a large pot this spring.
Only one has come up and recently opened into a very sad little pale blue flower, not at all like I hoped.

Resurgam123 Wed 17-Jul-19 10:50:30

Mine is Agapanthus Charlotte which is a decent height and the stems stay quite rigid. They are a very deep blue.
I still have thè lable from about seven years ago which is a miracle.

lemongrove Fri 05-Jul-19 17:15:52

nanasam lovely pic!
Mine aren’t as good as yours ?

shysal Fri 05-Jul-19 15:34:23

I have given my new one a tomato (high potash) feed, so I have done something right! I still have the last two Hampton Court programmes recorded so will watch.

J52 Fri 05-Jul-19 11:11:41

Oh! I’ve just watched Hampton Court Flower Show on I player. They had an agapanthus expert on, who said letting them become pot bound in order to flower was a myth!
He recommended repotting every 2/3 years and feeding with high potash feed every couple of weeks from spring through to the end of summer.
My potted ones have buds, just about to flower, but I will repot the smaller one early next year.

gillybob Fri 05-Jul-19 07:47:19

Oops sorry didn’t read the OP properly . Mine are not in pots although I am going to put those tiny ones into a pot for next year. smile

gillybob Fri 05-Jul-19 07:46:05

I have several different varieties of agapanthus around the garden . All are just starting to bloom . I have a mass of those tiny Pom Pom ones which are lovely but they’re totally in the wrong place because I just shoved them in to a spare bit of ground in panic to get them in. I will move them for next year. The rest are just mish mashed among everything else. They seem to love the overcrowding.

shysal Fri 05-Jul-19 07:41:06

I use mainly plastic pots too, as I can hardly lift the others if they contain heavy loam compost. I thought the Agapanthus deserved a ceramic one, and am even thinking of decoupage for it using an outdoor Mod Podge to seal it. It doesn't look like it will flower any more this year so thought I would add some flowers to the pot instead!

Resurgam123 Fri 05-Jul-19 07:31:25

I get plastic pots I am afraid, most pot pots are heavier than I want to lug about. I want to manage my back and my fingers to last a bit longer. I do have rather a lot of garden pots. 30 + then there is the rest of the garden .
We did not choose this plot it was the next one which would be ready on the before we could move in and get the kids into school for the next school term. It is a wee bit too big.
I do love it though.

shysal Tue 02-Jul-19 17:11:48

Thank you for the advice J52.
I have bought a ceramic pot and put the plant directly in it using John Inness No. 3. It was difficult to find just the right size, but there was less than an inch of space all round so hope it will do. An Agapanthus really deserves a bright blue pot, but as all my others are shades of green, terracotta or black I went for a pale sage green.

J52 Tue 02-Jul-19 16:12:56

Despite losing buds, it does look healthy. I’d repot it in only a slightly larger pot, possibly a bit deeper. Try not to disturb it too much.
They do like a rich compost mix, failing that mix some granular feed in with multi use compost.

shysal Tue 02-Jul-19 14:25:04

My plant has just arrived. It is in a split pot and has obviously had one bloom cut off and another bud has broken off. I can't see any more coming. Will that be it for this year? It is a healthy chunky plant. I am now off to find a pot to fit which is only marginally larger.
There are no specific planting instructions, will it need a rich compost and/or additives or a basic one, considering it will only be a small amount? Should I get another plastic pot to fit snugly and just stand it in a nice ceramic one, which I originally intended if hadn't been split?

annodomini Tue 02-Jul-19 13:07:48

I have successfully divided a big agapanthus without any problems. I also have a lovely light blue one with variegated foliage which is in a big pot and looks as if it might need to be split next year. 50 years ago, when I worked in Kenya, I had a long bed of agapanthus.

nanasam Tue 02-Jul-19 11:11:19

I snaffled a seed head from a trip to Madeira 14 years ago. I never got to pricking them out so they grew up extremely overcrowded and I just halved them when they broke the pot open! The leaves are very thin but they are obviously happy. This is a photo from last year.

Lazigirl Tue 02-Jul-19 10:15:25

Thanks Bradfordlass. They are obviously indestructible which is why I've been able to grow one! I'm not green fingered at all and am always having to replace plants in pots. My latest venture is a monkey puzzle tree in a pot. (a big pot).

Iam64 Tue 02-Jul-19 08:50:52

Thanks, I didn't realise they prefer to be pot bound. I have one in a pot that is a glory and one in the garden which has lots of green leaves but few flowers. I'd been blaming the fact its now overshadowed but maybe not.

Resurgam123 Tue 02-Jul-19 07:33:07

My agapanthus needs protection in winter and has to go in the garage. I have divided them now but I

I have lost some before. In the winter 10/11.

BradfordLass72 Tue 02-Jul-19 03:05:26

Agapanthus is regarded as a weed here and flows like a blue and white tide down roadsides and verges. I think it's very attractive.
My sentiments are not shared by the Powers That Be.

People are encouraged to grub it out and replace it (if they must) with the sterile variety.

www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/garden/100609103/agapanthus-are-everywhere--but-do-people-realise-its-a-weed-that-smothers-native-plants

Greyduster Mon 01-Jul-19 20:04:42

My agapanthus is my pride and joy. It came with us in its same large pot from our last garden and has been in that pot around ten years. It puts out more stems every year - nine so far this year. When it flowers it is a glory.

J52 Mon 01-Jul-19 18:25:45

shysal you’re just like me,addicted to plants, I’ve lost count of the pots, but a couple of years ago DH counted 65. He had to move them when we moved house! Since then 10 potted Hydrangeas have joined in, plus some more.

Resurgam123 Mon 01-Jul-19 17:26:53

I bought my Agapanthus at lunch time in M&S. Several years ago. They are a lovely deep blue. They do need some protection though.
It probably needs a a repotting to really get some energy back in. A job for the autumn.

Liaise Mon 01-Jul-19 17:06:55

Keep it in a pot unless it has small, thin leaves in which case it will be hardy in the garden. I planted some of mine in the border but they are not very keen on flowering. They have large leaves.
If I was starting afresh I would buy the small leafed varieties for ease of looking after.
We put the pots under cover in winter. Just a cheap polythene arrangement by the shed.

shysal Mon 01-Jul-19 15:13:01

This thread is timed well for me as I also made an impulse buy of an Agapanthus, from the Ideal World shopping channel yesterday, which should come with flowers and buds. I know they like to be pot-bound so will stand it in its original plastic pot within a glazed one for now. I haven't even decided where I can put it as I already have nearly 100 pots and baskets and not a square inch of bare soil to plant it out!