Re: Agapanthus was: Calla lilies - sun or shade?
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] Agapanthus was: Calla lilies - sun or shade?
- From: M* T*
- Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 01:46:29 -0500
Bobbi,
Doubt seriously that there are any Agapanthus out there who would
survive outside in your climate over winter.
The one I have wants to be a winter grower and blooms in early May
for me now that it lives in my cool greenhouse all winter.
Before I got the greenhouse, I used to let it go dormant with frost
and then wintered it all over the house and in the garage. It was
never truly a happy camper, but has survived for well over 10 years -
most of which it had the more or less dry, winter dormancy in some
forgotten spot somewhere in the house. It did not bloom very well
for me in summer with that treatment, but it now blooms relatively
well..not spectacularly. This may be because it has also not been
repotted in eons. They do tend to bloom better in pots, I have read,
when crowded.
Winter before this one, as an experiment, I hacked a bit out of the
pot and planted it in a very sheltered and sunny place, wondering if
it would survive. I put an upturned 6 gallon nursery pot over it for
winter. I was amazed that it survived that and removed the pot and
forgot to put it back on for our last hard freeze...and that did the
bit right in.
If you have coolish room with a bright window or added lights, you
should be able to overwinter Agapanthus.
Mine goes dormant with frost, as I said, and then starts to put out
new foliage end of January..it does want to be a winter grower. I
have no earthly which mine is.
The disgusting thing is that these plants are practically weeds in
southern CA..grow in median strips and bloom their heads
off...harumph:-)
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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> From: Bobbi Diehl <diehlr@INDIANA.EDU>
>
> Do you successfully grow any other "nonhardy" bulbs? I mean,
treating as
> perennials--overwintered outdoors.
>
> One I have always pined to grow here is Agapanthus. Never had any
luck
> even though I tried the hardiest cultivars.
