PlantFiles: Lily of the Nile, African Lily
Agapanthus africanus

I have read all the posted comments. This appears to be a plant with mysterious blooming requirements. I have had several plants for about 5 years scattered in my garden. They bloomed a bunch the second or third year but ever since there has been only one bloom (or none) per plant. I assume that they are root bound because I have not divided them. They are all well drained and get water and fertilizer regularly. They look healthy, and I love the foliage, but it's the flowers I lust after. The city has them planted in the median on the way to town and they bloom profusely. I really, really wish I could figure them out!

This 10+ year old plant grows in a 3 gallon pot that I haul in every fall to be stored in my basement. I eliminate the water then and begin watering in March. In April, I begin using weak fertilizer and it blooms every year. By late May, I set it outside. I have divided the plant several times and given it to friends who sometimes lack the patience it takes for waiting for blooms. I agree with the person who said it likes to be root-bound. The more crowded it is in the pot, the happier it is.

Although the instructions say to plant in full sun, I almost lost my Lily of the Nile when I did so. I bought a one gallon pot with 3 plants in it 3 years ago, and the lady at Lowes told me to plant it in the shade... so I did. The next year, it didn't bloom, so I researched what it needs, and found that it should have been in full sun... so I moved it to a sunny spot. It burned to a crisp after about a week. So, I moved them back in the shade, trimmed the damage off, and they thrived, but still didn't bloom last year. However, they multiplied like crazy. This year, I re did another shade garden and moved them again (now 8 plants) to the new area. As of today, I have one bloom, and several more about to bloom. I guess I just need to find where they would be happy.

A Beautiful, self-seeding border plant that is drought tolerant.

I absolutely love it as it's not only beautiful all year around with it's lush green foliage but it's flowers that come up every summer are gorgeous.

It's low maintenance with only the flower stems needing to be removed after flowering if you want to retain the pattern of grow otherwise they will spread like wild fire to the oddest places you can imagine haha.

It's strong root system is great for keeping it anchored during storms.

I bought 3 large plants and divided them. Last year towards the end of May they we're all blooming. This year they all look bigger and healthier, they're in the same location, but here it is, the middle of June, and I haven't had any blooms yet. I'm in Central Florida (Longwood) and wonder whether they may still bloom. Also, how many times a year do they bloom? They're one of my favorites.

I didnt give them enough credit for hardiness until they went unfazed through our Jan 07 arctic blast. Temps plumetted from high 30s to high teens and low 20s overnight and lasted for 6 or 7 consecutive nights. The agapanthus, which are litterally planted EVERYWHERE (from street medians, to public gardens, to home landscapes) went unfazed and began blooming at their normal time.

I'll say positive, but with a caveat. Outside of regions where they obviously flourish (California), they can be tricky plants and, imo, work best if they are root bound. Also, in my experience, they don't bloom if they move around a lot -- which may explain why some folks have had trouble. Best to stick them in a location and stay with it for a year or two.

This year I have my best bloom yet, and I've had different agapanthus plants for about 7 years now in three different cities. Right now, I have a large one in a big pot on the Southern end of a West facing patio.

In short, they can be demanding but, oh!, the payoff!!!

I've had one planted outside now for about 10 years. I had bought it in the San Francisco area and planted it near my South side foundation and it has done well. It dies back to the ground after we get a real cold snap in winter, but comes back fine in the spring. It also doesn't bloom for as long as the ones in the Bay area do, but it still lasts for at least 1 month in bloom here. I don't even mulch for winter, so I suspect the foundation provides enough ambient warmth for it to be happy.

I bought 8 Peter Pan Agapanthus (purple) about 2 months ago from Home Depot. None had blooms or bloom stalks. I just planted them about a month ago and all are blooming continuously. Each plant has about 5-7 stalks. I bought them in 1 gallon pots. They are in great soil and I placed time release fert. in hole and sprinkled more after planting. Thus far...great! I'll buy more!

I've had 3 Agapanthus for the past 4 years and have not seem them bloom yet. I've tried everything, moving them to a different location, fertilizer, sun, part shade etc. Nothing seems to work. During our rainy summers the leaves get very pale and I suspect they don't like to be too wet. I haven't given up yet. They were moved to a different location this summer and I'm hoping that next spring they'll bloom.

I always wanted some Agapanthus and then a family friend gave me two HUGE clumps of them. I was absolutely ruthless when I was dividing them and they all survived!!! Even the bits of rhizome that I snapped off and planted into poorly poorly drained soil sprouted and grew vigorously. I live in an area where we can get up to -8 in winter and they thrive during all seasons--in frost or in dry, hot weather. They also stand up to winds very well. I am about to buy a black-flowered Agapanthus that is quite beautiful. This is definitely one of my favorite plants. pokerboy.

San Antonio, Texas

I have had problems with these not blooming. I have relocated them to different spots trying to make them happy several times over the years and they have only bloomed a couple of times. I see them blooming in many locations here and have no idea why mine are beautiful and healthy looking plants that seem to be shy when it comes to blooming. I am sure it is not the plant, but something I am doing wrong so I am rating them a neutral.

I have two varieties of these plants the dwarf 'Peter Pan' and the 'Ellie Mae' variety. The Peter Pan has bloomed, and it adds the blue I was looking for in my garden, but Ellie Mae has yet to show me what she's got, flowerwise yet. However, there is still alot of blooming weather left, so I am the 'lady in waiting' for Ellie Mae. They do well here, so I am surprised more people don't have them planted, as there are alot of gardeners in my neighborhood.

I split a large clump (over 20 years old) last year as flowering had really dropped off. There was a rhizome type base to the clump nearly a foot thick in places. I had to use a mattock to get though it and break the clump up. I got over 100 plants every one of which survived and about 30% of which have already flowered some of them out of season. This plant is tough. It is also invasive, at least in Australian conditions, so dead head when the flower is spent, unless you specifically want seed. Clumps are a real snail haven.
They look green and glossy no matter how dry it gets, and flower as well in the meridian strips of local roads as in the most carefully tended garden.

A favorite of apartment complexes in the southeast Texas area, they are green year round with great flower display in the spring. Hardy in sun and bright shade with regular watering. I was happy to try them again as I had tried in North Carolina piedmont in bright shade with only green straps-no blooms over a 4 year trial.

I had these plants growing in my front yard at a rental house in San Francisco, up on a hill just above the fog line. I was very busy working two jobs, and I never did anything to or for them for the three years I lived there, and they all bloomed beautifully. I suspect they had been in the yard for years, out by the sidewalk, which was really a series of big concrete steps, and in the sunniest part of the yard.

Agapanthus grew all over the San Francisco Bay Area when I was living there--in freeway plantings, in street medians, in parks--it seemed the more neglect they received, the more they prospered!

I see this plant for sale here in Northcentral Florida, zone 8b, at the big discount garden centers like WalMart and K-Mart, but so far I've been afraid they wouldn't like our very wet summers and occasional Winter arctic blasts. But after reading that they grow well in rainy, and also cold in the Winter, Washington State, I think I will give them a try again after all these years, and remember those busy days in San Francisco when I see them in bloom.

Edgewood, Washington
Not really a tender tropical at all. I have several different varieties growing in my yard year round. I have some dwarf ones, Peter Pan,& Tinkerbell growing in pots on my deck. They all survive the winters here very well. The large variety die down in the winter to come back in the Spring and bloom in the Summer. The dwarf varieties are all evergreen. Love the blue blooms, and the white are nice but not as striking. Lovely plant from Africa that is living comfortably in Western Washington state.

I would like to know when I should prune off the spent blooms.

The first year our Dwarf Agapanthus (from one-gallon containers) put up one or two stalks of blooms. Now in their second year, the leaf clumps have gotten a bit larger, but each plant has sent up multiple flower stalks, at least 3-4, making for a much better show.

The white dwarf agapanthus did not bloom in the first year at all, and this second year has put forth only two stalks; it seems to be much less vigorous than its blue-flowering brethren.

The Headbourne hybrids grow here for me in USDA Zone 6b/7a with a protected location and winter protection of shredded leaf mulch. Just breaking into bloom now, their second year after settling in to a sunny south wall spot. Reminds me of the San Francisco Bay area (California) when in bloom, although they came from South Africa, by way of hybridizing in England for more cold-hardiness.

These thrive here in northern California (U.S.) I truly like the flowers, but don't care for the slugs and snails they provided great homes for. They do need to be divided about every three years here, otherwise they become a bit much and don't bloom exceptionally well. My favorite is the 'Peter Pan' variety (dwarf) of both the blue and white. They are hardy plants and seem to need little care except for bit of water and sun.

These flowers bloom for a long time in Florida.

This is an awesome plant to grow, and very easy to divide and propagate. I am currently growing it in full sun to shady areas. It will bloom better in the sun, but the foliage looks great in the shade. To divide dig up plant, use a sharp tool to divide and replant. Give regular water and it will take off.

Easy to start from seed and not prone to damping off. It is possible to grow these in large quantities from seed but it takes 3 to 5 years for them to bloom depending upon conditions. They do well in poor and rocky soil and bloom best when their root mass becomes crowded.

When dividing use a sharp spade or large knife to cut through the root mass and water well until established.

I found these to be the easiest plant I have tried to grow from seed and encouraging for a beginner with bright light from a window and no special equiptment. I just kept them damp and they grew!

Agapanthus has strap-like leaves, with deep blue violet flowers on stalks 2 feet rising above foliage. Long-lasting flowers; bulbs must be protected in zones 8 and colder. (Headbourne hybrids are somewhat more cold-tolerant than the species.)

I've had mine for two full growing seasons now, and I'm still waiting on blooms. The first year I potted them and sunk the containers in the ground in early spring. In the fall, I dug up the containers and stored them in a frost-free greenhouse all winter.

The second year I failed to get them dug up, so they remained outside. By spring, I knew they had suffered some dieback (and thought it was pretty widespread.) I dug up the containers and salvaged the obviously live roots, putting them in an above-ground container. One of the pots that contained discarded roots started sending up growth, so I think I may have jumped the gun on digging them up, and probably precluded any blooms for another season. But there's always next year!!!