This is a tough job considering the hundreds of thousands that a gardener is to choose from. He has to consider the characteristics of every plant to be grown in the garden.
Some of the characteristics to consider are; the form of the plant: is it upright, trailing, what the maximum height it can attain?
Secondly he has to consider if the plant is a flowering plant. If so, what is the color of the flowers?
Thirdly he has to establish whether the plant is an evergreen or deciduous.
Finally he has to consider the impact of these plants to the environment. For example are the plants invasive in nature, what is the effect of the plants to buildings, the soil and to animals
In this article I will discuss about Agapanthus. There are thousands of flowering plants that can be used to give color to a flower garden- agapanthus is one of them.
For those growers who may wish to put a touch of blue in their gardens, consider planting Agapanthus at your home.
This plant produces elegant blue or white umbellate flowers on tall flower stalks, thus providing a burst blue color throughout the year.
For those in temperate regions, you can still enjoy the blue color during warm summer days.
I recommend this flowering plant as it is fast growing, disease resistant, easy to maintaining and propagating and is drought tolerant.
The plant is also tolerant to sandy soil and clay soils. The most popular and widely grown are the evergreen Agapanthus praecox species and its numerous cultivars.
During flowering, capsules are produced and when mature, they explode and release black flat seeds that are wind dispersed.
This plant can be propagated from seed or division of the rhizomes. New plants generated from seeds take longer to flower compared to those raised from the rhizomes.
The height of agapanthus ranges from 10 cm tall miniatures to 2 meters tall giants and their colors vary from shades of blue to pure white.
RECOMMENDED SPECIES
1. Cape Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus subs africanas) has spreading, deep blue open flowers on rounded umbels reaching 30 cm across. This species is endemic to the Fynbos region of the Western Cape.
This is the most widespread variety in Kenya.
2. Fynbos Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus subs. walshii) has longer drooping flowers and shorter leaves. It occurs naturally in the Granbouw district in south Africa.
3. Eastern cape Agapanthus (Agapanthus praecox) most popular and widespread species ranging from the western cape to Kwazulu natal with many local forms and cultivars.
Its leaves reach 60 cm and its umbels are borne on flower stalks 80-100 cm tall the blue (or rarely white) flowers and more than 5 cm long. Agapanthus praecox subspecies orientalis is the most popular-Mt Thomas has deep blue flowers.
4. Knysa Agapanthus– Agapanthus praecox subs minimus syn. Agapanthus comptonii) is smaller and lacking in growth of the former. Its inflorescence may grow up to 60 cm tall and the pale flowers reach 4.5 cm long.
It is confined to the eastern margin of the Western Cape and southern coastal region of the Eastern Cape. Recommended cultivars are Alelaide and Storms River.
5. Highveld Agapanthus (Agapanthus campunulatus) has 50 cm tall, slightly grey green leaves. The umbels reach 20 cm in diameter on stalks 70 cm tall with pale to blue spreading flowers.
It naturally occurs in grassland in the Drankensberg (Kwa zulu natal) and eastern free state to near Johannesburg (Gauteng) in the north. Recommended cultivars have white stripped leaves.
6. Drankensberg Agapanthus (Agapanthus caulescens syn Agapanthus nutans has 60 cm tall, glossy bright-green leaves in clusters. The umbels reach 20 cm in diameter, on stalks 60-130 cm tall with deep blue to violet (rarely white) spreading flowers.
It occurs among grassland along the northern Drankensberg of Mpumalanga and Northern Province.
7. Graskop Agapanthus (Agapanthus inapertus subsp pendulus) differs by its smaller heads of drooping flowers. This beautiful and popular plant occurs in the Sabie/Graskop district of Mpumalanga.
Other subspecies include Agapanthus inapertus subsp hollandii and Agapanthus inapertus subsp intermedius.
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