Agapanthus

[OllyBJolly]

After a few disappointing years where I nearly gave up, my agapanthus were absolutely stunning this year. (Roses and sweet peas were a disaster so it's not been overall a good year in the Jolly garden).

Last winter I wrapped them up in fleece and put them in a sheltered corner. (They're in pots because I think Monty (or GQT) says they work best in pots) Plan to do that again but still have a lot of foliage -should I cut it off?

(In Scotland and expecting first frosts soon!)

My potful of agapanthus was good this year too. I'm in NW England, I don't protect the pot other than moving it from it's summer position to next to the house wall.
I think with foliage it's like other bulbs - leave while it's green to feed the bulbs, cut down when it goes yellow. I should have done that to mine by now but haven't got round to it yet.

I've just started reading some more ... from the RHS site : Some types, especially the evergreens, may not be fully hardy, so are best grown in containers that can be protected from frost over winter

Well, mine definitely aren't evergreen, presumably it's obvious whether yours are or not.

Having just been out to remove the yellow leaves - they were at the stage where they pulled out, no cutting needed - I've come back in with a bucket of seed heads. They look ripe, a few had dropped to the ground naturally. So, now I'm trying to work out what to do with them. The Gardeners world site says to sow them immediately but doesn't seem to specify whether the seed tray should be warm, frost-free or just left outside; other sites say to put in a paper bag till spring. maybe I should do a mix.

Thanks @ErrolTheDragon. Wish I'd googled before I cut the seedheads down! I'd love to have a shot at growing them from seed.

I think if your potful has been disappointing in previous years you made the right call. I left mine more by accident than design! As with other bulbs, it takes energy for them to set seed so they're likely to be better next year if you deadhead before that.

I think they like to be squashed in a pot.

Can't quite make head nor tail of Agapanthus. I've heard Monty advocate they should only be grown in pots. Then they will cut to a film of a garden to visit which has shed loads of Agapanthus in their borders!
We don't bother putting our potted Agapanthus away for the winter, so I think they are coming out of the pots and into the borders next year!

Maybe they are in pots sunk into the ground? My Dad used to do this with certain plants.

Update: after a few days delay, I sowed some of my agapanthus seeds, using the multipurpose compost which is all I've got at the moment, with just a light covering of this (versus the instructions for gritty compost and a vermiculite covering). I used two cheap propagators. The one I put outside is showing no signs of life, but the indoors tray, by the patio window now has quite a lot of small green shoots appearing.

I also chucked some in various parts of the flowerbeds, to take their chances.

I planted (in pots) for the first time this year and got loads of foilage but no flowers. The foilage is still very green and healthy looking, any advice? Will it ever flower?

Yes, it seems often they need to bulk up, maybe get crowded before flowering. I don't know if it's bulb size or the 'flower when stressed' response.

Late update … the first lot of seedlings didn’t do too well so I sowed some more (I’d saved a lot in a paper bag) under similar conditions. I’ve now got lots of small plants. They’re nowhere near adult size so this could be a long experiment!

Apparently the thing about being in pots is not true. Monty admitted it!

They need rich soil, if in a border, apparently.

Well I have them in a (dryish) border and a pot,doing well in both, somewhat to my surprise. We're veet frosty here too,but both locations are against the house.

Inspired by Errol's success with seeds - I might try thay myself this year!

They've got a way to go before I can declare them a success!

I'm not sure if it's still there but I noticed a self seeded seedling in the cracks between the paving slabs the arbour stands on - so look carefully at 'grass' when you're weeding your border.

I got some going from seed but the frost killed them. I think you'd have a long wait for them to flower!

Instructions on sowing Agapathus seeds here from the fabulous Stinky Ditch Nursery.

I get great results from following their instructions.

Ours look amazing this year. All live compactly in pots.

I love Agapanthus (especially the darkest blue ones) and have several varieties. This is the first year I’ve planted them in a border in this garden (but I remember the bad winter of 2010 when I lost about a dozen). Mine had been sitting in pots on the patio since then. I usually scatter the seed back into the pot but I too found some seedlings in the cracks. I managed to successfully tease out 4 last year and they are getting quite big. I’ve also noticed I have some tiny seedlings pop up beside where I’ve planted so presumably some of the seeds from last year.

@OnTheNatureOfDaylight your aggies look amazing but I've got to ask - what's anchored in your pond by those steel wires(?)

I am too nosey, I know

My agapanthus are puzzling me. I have some in a pot, which didn't flower last year (I suspect not enough/any water) but were brilliant this year. I watered and fed them regularly in spring so I assume that's what helped.

But I also have some in the ground which haven't flowered since being planted - been there three years now. I'm considering digging them up and putting them in a pot, then maybe plant the pot in the ground next year instead... might that work? They are in quite poor soil as well so that probably doesn't help.

@LeafOfTruth they're holding the pond baskets that have the lily pads in. The koi pond is very deep.

Ah ha!! Thank you for putting this old gal out of her misery

I have them in the ground and they have completely taken over the flowerbed. I read they like to be pot bound and don't mind poor soil. When we went to Madeira they were everywhere by the roadsides almost growing as a weed. I might transplant them into pots next year as I would like my flowerbed back!