A is for agapanthus

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If you like giving gardening friends lessons in geography gone wrong, lily of the Nile is your kind of plant. In spite of the name, it is from South Africa, where, like here, the Nile River can only be found in two places: Google searches and library books.

To cut down on this confusion, I skip “lily of the Nile” and use its alternate name, agapanthus (it resides in the genus Agapanthus). Whatever it is called, the one constant is that it is a very pretty summer-blooming perennial.

Planted in the spring, an agapanthus rhizome sprouts strap-like leaves, which are soon joined by sturdy stems that become flower towers. Depending on the cultivar, they can rise 2 to almost 4 feet high, supporting show-stopping, rounded clusters of small, tubular blossoms.

Although agapanthus bloom colors include white and violet, blue is its signature hue, ranging from blushing light shades to dramatic, dark tones. There are also bicolor cultivars featuring visual dances of white with blue-infused partners.

For the best displays, find a planting site that basks in the morning to early midday sun and has well-worked soil. Spacing should be about 8–10 inches apart. A generous helping of compost around the plants each spring will generally take care of their nutrient needs through the growing season.

Agapanthus will be much happier in soil that drains well, meaning sandy loam gardens in eastern parts of the state will make it feel right at home. For the rest of South Carolina, the more clay you garden in, the more reason to go full container culture with a quality potting mix. And don’t skimp on the pot because an agapanthus rhizome can develop a hefty root system. A 12-inch container is about the right size for a single planting.

One more reason to garden-grow these showoffs in the east and pot ’em in the west: winter. South Carolina is on the northern fringe of their hardiness area. This shouldn’t be a problem in the Lowcountry, but further inland, if you don’t have a protected planting site such as a southern exposure or walled area to deflect the worst bite of cold weather, go with containers.

Agapanthus won’t be too hard to find at local garden centers this spring, but if you want to shop early, three regional e-nurseries that stock them online are Wayside Gardens (waysidegardens.com), Plant Delights Nursery (plantdelights.com) and Brent and Becky’s Bulbs (brentandbeckysbulbs.com).  

February in the garden

• Applying a dormant oil spray on branches and trunks to smother overwintering eggs and larvae of such pests as aphids, whiteflies, scale and spider mites is a good way to help curb spring and summer outbreaks against susceptible ornamental and fruit trees. Just remember to spray on a day when the temperature is expected to remain above 40 F.

• On mild days, visit local arboretums, botanical gardens or even area nurseries with display beds to check out what kinds of hardy plants they are using to liven up their outdoor settings with cold-weather interest and color.

• See that the bird bath stays free of ice and continue to wash and refill it at least every two weeks. Also, keep bird feeders stocked with seed and suet.

Tip of the month

Any indoor plants that have large, smooth leaves, such as rubber plant, dracaena, croton, fiddleleaf fig or philodendron will show off better if they are wiped at least once a month, using a soft cloth lightly moistened with warm water. Cleaning the foliage will, of course, perk up the coloration of such houseplants, but more importantly, it will remove from the leaf surfaces dust and other particles that can interfere with these potted pretties’ all-important photosynthesis process.

L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.