Agapanthus is a flowering herb with blue or white flowers that originates from South Africa. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. However, if the roots are protruding from the base of the pot or the plant seems to need watering much more often, it is probably too potbound for good health and flowering. 30cm apart and with crowns 5cm (2in) below the ground. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Agapanthus (the African lily) is an architectural, summer-flowering perennial with glossy, strap-like leaves and tall umbels of showy, funnel-shaped blooms that are good for cutting. Agapanthus, commonly called Lily of the Nile, forms a large clump of strap-like leaves. Agapanthus, also known as African lily or Lily of the Nile, actually hails from near the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, nowhere near the Nile River. Hostafan1 Posts: 26,165. orientalis and subsp. Fortunately they don’t cause much damage to the plants and are best dealt with by picking them off by hand when you spot them. If you dig the plants up, you’ll find the roots or bulb decayed and discolored. The plant has a mostly underground stem called a rhizome (like a ginger 'root') that is used as a storage organ. Agapanthus, a popular perennial that grows from a bulb-like rhizome, is a tough survivor in the face of chronic drought. Dig around the roots and lift them out of the ground, removing as much of the soil around them as you can. Cover the spot with a heavy layer of mulch – this will keep the sun away from any remaining roots and kill them. Lay a board nearby and lift it each morning to dispose of slugs and snails sleeping under it. Remove agapanthus plants infected with botrytis and destroy them. Audrey Lynn has been a journalist and writer since 1974. This Lantana is a tough, resilient… Use the plant tag as a location marker. The only thing you can do is discard it to prevent the disease from spreading to other plants. June 2018. Yellow leaf tips indicate overwatering or waterlogged soil. Its strap-like leaves make an excellent ground cover and its conspicuous flowers bloom all summer long. The leaves are short, narrow, thin and with wavy edges, exposing the white leaf base and the many shrivelled old leaves which used to be hidden by the newer foliage. minimus. Botrytis blight normally infects outdoor plants, causing deformed flowers. Normally free of significant problems, agapanthus may occasionally suffer from insects, infections or cultural difficulties. Agapanthus can be used as a border plant, in a mixed bed of perennials or in a container. Sign up for our newsletter. Fungicides treat either disease. praecox, subsp. Agapanthus is tolerant of drought and prefers full sun to partial shade in the garden. A large perennial herb up to 2 m. Massive, rough and wrinkled umbrella-sized leaves (80 cm x 1 m) on sturdy stalks have 5-7 lobes and raised veins beneath. Ideal for pots and borders, they flower from July to September in shades that range from dark violet to blue and pure white. Agapanthus growing in containers needs to be somewhat potbound to produce the best flowers. She edited a weekly home-and-garden tabloid for her hometown newspaper and has regularly contributed to weekly and daily newspapers, as well as "Law and Order" magazine. And the spring flowers that pop up in a balled cluster add a … Most bloom in late spring and continue blooming until fall, with spidery blooms attracting butterflies and bees in white to a nearly black shade of dark blue, depending on the cultivar. When the leaves begin to yellow, withhold water. Remove the foliage when it withers and dies back. If you dig the plants up, you’ll find the roots or bulb decayed and discolored. Be sure to visit our shop and browse our collection of agapanthus plants! The plant is easy to care for and often disease free, but some agapanthus problems can be devastating. Damage from herbicide sprays that drift onto the agapanthus foliage includes curling, cupped leaves and brown or dead spots on the leaves. When agapanthus doesn't get enough sunlight outdoors, it can develop powdery mildew, a fungal infection that makes the leaves look like they've been dusted with baby powder. Snails love to shelter in the leaves of agapanthus plants. Depending on the species or cultivar, agapanthus grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 11. Mealybugs, gnats, spider mites and thrips are the main culprits. Some tender, evergreen agapanthus may survive winter, but it’s best to move them indoors in case of severe winter weather. Agapanthus are susceptible to fungal attack. Read on to learn more about when and how to prune agapanthus plants. Plants for Gardens That Look to the Southwest, San Francisco Botanical Garden: Lily of the Nile -- Agapanthus, Sonoma County Master Gardeners: Monthly Gardening Questions -- Agapanthus, Missouri Botanical Garden: Agapanthus (Group), Missouri Botanical Garden: Problems Associated with Agapanthus Africanus, Missouri Botanical Garden: Common Garden Pests and Problems. Too much water can overwhelm the roots, leading to root rot. Sun Scald. I think damo is on the right track. These are year round beauties for their strappy leaves in a glossy deep green. We grow Agapanthus africanus, the largest of the family, hailing from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Anthracnose is another of the agapanthus diseases that spreads through water. Keep reading to learn more about agapanthus diseases and treating diseases of agapanthus plants. Diseases affecting agapanthus are often brought about by overwatering and too much moisture. Although the agapanthus species will generally cope well in extended heat waves and droughts, the leaves and flowers may be burnt when temperatures exceed 40°. The leaves give an energy charge to the bulb through photosynthesis and for this they need to keep their leaves! A Hambidge Fellow, Lynn studied English at Columbus State University. Others attack their arching green leaves or rot their roots or bulbs. Space agapanthus plants 24 inches apart. Agapanthus are easy to propagate by division - between spring and early summer, or in early fall, after plants have finished flowering. Bulb rot and root rot are both agapanthus problems that start underground. The plant spreads by sending out rhizomes and clumps need dividing every two or three years. The inflorescence is a spike of 50-75 cm, up … Leave the foliage uncut as this provides additional winter protection. Agapanthus have long, fleshy leaves that form dense clumps of evergreen or deciduous foliage (choose evergreen forms for all-year action). Should I Trim Agapanthus? Contact with the plant's sap can cause skin and eye irritation, as well as severe mouth pain if eaten. Water the agapanthus to a depth of 12 inches the day before dividing. If this occurs frequently relocate the plants to a shady area. 0. Bulb rot and root rot are both agapanthus problems that start underground. On a warm autumn day and before the first frosts, cover the crowns of the hardy deciduous agapanthus with straw, to protect over winter. If you water them at night they sometimes get a white powdery residue on the leaves near the base and the leaves get a bit distorted go yellow and die. Most can be washed off the agapanthus with a strong spray of water. Therefore, they have made themselves at home in warmer areas of the… - Plants by Mail These smaller varieties are also a … Symptoms include dead-tipped, lighter green olive leaves in the middle of the plant. because they're commonly known as lilies-of-the-Nile, but prolonged wet conditions expose them to several fungal diseases.One of those diseases transforms their globes of flowers into balls of fuzz. It causes yellow or brown leaf spotting and eventual drop, and can be treated in the same way as gray mold. Agapanthus can bring fresh shape to your cut flower garden. Powdery mildew may form after a period of cool nights and warm days in spring or fall, but does little harm. Agapanthus is the signature plant in our coastal garden and deservedly so. Remove plant debris in the garden to prevent botrytis and powdery mildew. Several insects may attack agapanthus indoors or out, sucking vital plant juices from foliage and tender new growth. 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