[catman]

Hi, I got a white and blue agapanthus last year and planted them out in a well drained bed with a lot of mulch. As yet there is no sign of any shoots or growth from either this year. I have seen a few agapanthus in the garden centres lately and have been wondering if I should get some to replace the ones I got last year. I was just wondering has anyone else seen signs of life from their agapanthus yet?

[Sive]

Yes, my agapanthus leaves are all growing well and quite large now, this is their second spring, although I got no flowers last year and am hoping for some this year.
I've never grown them before, so I'm afraid I can't give you any more advice about them.

[catman]

Thanks Sive, looks like I'll have a job for this weekend. They are the only casulty after the winter so its not too bad. Everything else is thriving if not a little delayed.

[mountainy man]

my white agapanthus is only just emerging, it has tips of leaves comming out the size of my little finger nail and only at one of the crowns have a closer look before you give it the last rites , it was -18 here during the winter so am suprised it survived at all . am going to give it a feed of comfrey juice poor thing !

[Protein]

I have several clumps of agapanthus, and have lost some from the winter.

Funnily, I have lost the older clumps - as time goes on, the clumps become exposed with years of root and stem growth - the very reason the extreme cold killed them.

I would echo what M/Man has said, scratch beneath the surface to see if you can see any signs of life - I forgot one of my clumps until I was raking and found green shoots

Sive, if your agapanthus doesn't flower this year, chances they have it too comfy, and you will have to abuse them i.e. poorer soils / warmer conditions / restricted root growth

me

[catman]

I had a little scratch around below the surface at the weekend and saw no signs of shoots. On both plants I did find lots of roots just below the surface. Does the Agapanthus have very high roots. I found a lot of roots just a half inch to an inch below the surface, is this nomal for Agapanthus. What should I be looking for when I check the rootball to tell if its still healthy, as a novice I didn't really know what I was looking for when I was checking at the weekend?

[Sive]

Thanks for that Protein.....as I said, I've never grown agapanthus before, but I adore the flowers, so I now need to learn how to grow it successfully.
Abuse it may be, so, next year!

[artalis]

Healthy soft roots ( including agapanthus) are generally pale colured, creamy yellow or white. Dead roots are brown/dark and strawlike.

Exceptions are woody plants, trees etc which will have more substancial roots some of which almost appear like woody branches in texture and colour.

Agapanthus like to be kept dryish and like shelter. Perhaps yours is just slowish to get going due to the severe winter or else positioning.

I have a v. poor patch of soil in my front garden which is also exposed on three sides ( North, East and South ) and where I planted some agapanthus at least 2 yrs ago. Growth was very minimal until this year, when a smallish group of leaves emerged, followed by about 5 black coloured stems with dark exotic buds.

Took a while that one perhaps due to the harsher conditions in that position. I have blues, whites and purples besides, all doing well. Started my first one in a pot and the agapanthus roots loved being in a tight corner, producing a healthy flower crop in July/August.

My white, is flowering in profusion for the first time this year, again it is in a colder position and has taken 2 to 3 yrs to get well established.


artalis

[Liz D]

Agapanthus love sun and space and funnily enough, in my experience, like being next to each other!

I found that any bit of frost puts them back the following spring/summer. Following warmer winters they grow much larger.