Description

The plants do not have a tuber but have a tuberous fleshy root structure. The leaves are strap like, smooth margined, upright or arching in sets of two. There is no leaf stalk and leaf widths vary from 1 to 5cm. The colour of the leaves can vary from blue green to dark green. Depending upon the cultivar, the flowering season may commence from early Spring or Summer and continue into late Summer. The flower scapes appear out of the centre of the plants and grow and flower above the foliage. Some early flowering cultivars can re-flower later in the flowering season.

An advantage of agapanthus is that not all clusters of flowers open at the same time and there are always flowers opening on the umbel, with the lower buds opening first. 

Flower colours vary from various shades of blue, bicolour blue based and white, bicolour mauve based to white and white. Cultivars to be released in the future will include superior versions of blue and white agapanthus and some exciting new colours and colour combinations.  Watch out for these new cultivars bred right here in Australia.

Uses

They are easy to grow and are the perfect choice for borders along driveways, paths and fence lines. Mass planted they can be used as a ground cover to block out weeds. The thick roots also bind soil and can reduce erosion on steep or exposed slopes. Agapanthus also do well as potted feature plants. Plant a few to a pot for impact.

Climate

Bred in Queensland, they will tolerate a range of climates from cool to semi-tropical areas with at least moderate rainfall without water supplementation. Frost tolerant down to minus 2 without protection. During long spells of hot weather, it is best to limit water supplementation during the daylight hours to prevent/reduce foliage rotting from heated water trapped in the basal leaf sheafs. The leaves can also suffer from sun scorch. This can be managed by ensuring plants have some protection from afternoon sun particularly in hotter areas.