Reg Moule - Your questions and answer (From Worcester News)

Reg Moule - Your questions and answer

10:38am Monday 11th May 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

CAN you please give me some advice on my agapanthus which I planted about three years ago and I’ve still never seen a flower? They are planted in a fairly sunny border.
P ASHLEY

REG SAYS: The answer depends on various factors, one being how old or large the plants were when you bought them. Some of the cheaper ones can be a little on the small side and they will take a couple of years to build themselves up to flowering size even in excellent conditions.

Agapanthus are fleshy rooted perennial members of the onion family from South Africa. They like plenty of sun and well-drained soil. Yours appear to be in a “fairly sunny border” so maybe they haven’t been getting enough sun.

If you have heavy clay soil this is not a great environment for the plants, as both the drainage and aeration can be poor, marring good root action. If I was to try growing agapanthus in garden borders on heavy soil I would find a really warm, sunny spot and incorporate some pea gravel and well rotted organic matter into the planting area. Although I stress the need for adequate drainage this does not mean that they enjoy drought, or poor conditions, as they will need sufficient water and nutrients throughout the growing season. A particularly important period comes just after flowering or in your case late summer, as this is when next year’s flower buds are being initiated so moisture levels must be maintained if these buds are to form. Feeding the plants in late spring with rose fertiliser followed by a moisture retaining mulch will also prove beneficial.

At home I grow a dwarf agapanthus called Peter Pan in a container. I do put mine in a polythene mini-greenhouse over the middle of the winter to avoid excessive winter wetness. My growing medium is 70 per cent John Innes No3, 20 per cent multi-purpose compost and 10 per cent horticultural grit. I use a high potash liquid fertiliser every 14 days from May until September.

Dividing your plants only becomes necessary when you notice a decline in blooms from an otherwise healthy, prolific specimen, say once every six years. Plants take a couple of years to settle into a good flowering pattern.

• Print
• Email
• Share