Description

Family Amaryllidaceae
Garden origin

• Rich, deciduous green strap-shaped leaves, form a compact clump.
• Large globes of rich velvety purple flowers are held on tall stout stems.
• Easy to grow in full sun and free draining soil and in pots.

The hardiest and most reliable agapanthus, with compact basal rosettes of strap-shaped deciduous leaves giving the plant a solid visual impact at its base. The thick and sturdy flowering stems are tall and emerge in midsummer and provide excellent support for the flowers, elevating them well above the foliage, which forms a lush, dense, slowly spreading clump, about 35cm tall, beneath the profusion of blooms.

The bright blue globe-shaped flowers are composed of many individual trumpet-shaped blooms, emerging as dark purple buds alongside fully open trumpets, giving each flower head a two-tone richness of colour. They have a well-defined darker stripe along the length of each petal. ‘Headbourne Hybrids’ generate numerous flowering stems, resulting in a continuous succession of blooms that can persist for over a month. After flowering, large green seed pods develop, gradually maturing to a tan colour, contributing to an architectural display that extends into late autumn.

Few plants encapsulate the essence of Mediterranean style as effectively as the African Lily. Its upright blooms infuse an architectural statement into any garden style, making it equally fitting for contemporary, coastal, and traditional English gardens. The bright coloration of this variety looks stunning with silver-leaved plants such as olives and yuccas and contrasts spectacularly with darker-leaved plants such as Phormium ‘Black Velvet’ and Ophiopogon.

For optimal growth, plant this agapanthus in full sun and well-draining soil. It also excels in pots. To safeguard the large fleshy bulbs during winter, consider applying a protective mulch.

Height and spread after 2 – 5 years 1m x 50cm.