Agapanthus africanusAfrican Lily

Agapanthus africanus, the African Lily, is an evergreen clumping perennial from the Western Cape of South Africa, grown for its arching strap-shaped foliage and for the tall bare stems of blue funnel-shaped flowers it throws up through summer. It settles into a neat mound and holds that form for years with very little attention.

It is a workhorse of mass planting: banks, kerbside beds, median strips and the front edge of shrub borders, where a long flowering season and a tidy evergreen habit count for more than individual specimen value.

Specifications

• Height0.6 to 1 metre in flower, with foliage to 0.5 metres
• Width0.5 to 0.6 metres
• Native toThe Western Cape of South Africa
• FoliageNarrow, arching, strap-shaped leaves in a dense basal clump; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers well-drained sandy or loamy soils; tolerates poor and gravelly ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterLow to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in Mediterranean, subtropical and warm temperate regions

Additional Features

• FlowersRounded umbels of blue funnel-shaped flowers on bare stems through summer
• UsesMass planting, border edging, median strips, kerbside beds and container display
• SpacingPlant 3 to 5 per square metre for a closed mass within two seasons
• Low MaintenanceCut spent flower stems after flowering and divide congested clumps every four to five years
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free, though snails may graze new foliage in wet conditions
• Drought ToleranceHolds condition through dry spells once the clump has rooted down
• Seasonal AppealEvergreen through the year, with a long summer flowering flush

The African Lily is the dependable blue in a planting scheme, giving reliable summer colour and year-round green cover for very little input.