Agapanthus or Lily-of-the-Nile for Containers or Ground

Agapanthus (pronounced ag-ah-PAN-thus) or Lily of The Nile makes me think of Allium, but the leaves are more substantial and the bloom appears more robust. Given a choice between the two, I would choose exotic-looking Agapanthus. I attempted to grow this plant many times in the past. My plants would last a year or two, and then would dwindle away or even die outright during a cold, wet winter. New cultivars are on the market now, with enhanced cold tolerance, so I am trying again. Some varieties are evergreen while others are deciduous. Check the label to know what you are buying.

Agapanthus is a fleshy rhizome that hails from South Africa. Another common name is African Lily. It prefers at least a half-day or sun or more. The labels indicate cold hardiness from zone 8 through 11. If you live in a cooler area, you can grow Agapanthus in containers and bring them indoors when winter arrives. Be careful to avoid overwatering in winter.

Most Agapanthus flowers are in shades of blue, but purple and white forms are available also. Individual leaves grow to three inches wide and 12 to 24 inches in length. Dwarf forms are available. The flowers are umbrels, clusters of individual flowers that appear as a single flower atop a sturdy stem. Each small flower has six petals; most have a darker stripe down the center of each petal. A fully opened flower is approximately the size of a tennis ball. This year, I paired a white cultivar with blue flushes (‘Indigo Frost’) with a white-flowered Mandevilla vine in a container with an added trellis.  I have high hopes for this combination. The Mandevilla has not started to climb its trellis yet, but I think it will be an ideal paring. Ultimately, the Mandevilla vine will serve as a windbreak and a visual backdrop for the Agapanthus flowers.

Agapanthus likes a well-drained, moist soil of neutral pH. It will not tolerate constantly wet soil. For best flowering, fertilize in early spring and again after flowering concludes.

Be patient with Agapanthus. It takes a year or two for it to reach its full potential. Rhizomes will enlarge and plants will spread over time. The seeds of spent flowers can be harvested and will germinate but it takes several years for seed-grown specimens to begin flowering. Propagation by division is a faster method. Plants bloom best when rootbound, so don’t be quick to separate. Use care when dividing ground-grown plants, as the thick feeder roots spread widely and shallowly. It is best to divide congested plants in autumn rather than spring.

Agapanthus leaves are toxic if eaten and the sap can cause skin irritation. This does not impact hummingbirds and other pollinators, who love visiting the blooms, but it deters nibbling from deer.

This newly planted pairing will be beautiful once the white-flower Mandevilla starts to cover the trellis.

Closeup of bicolored flower

A ground grown specimen

Japanese Water Iris fills a Gap

Daffodils and bearded Iris have long faded, and summer annuals are approaching their peak, delayed by this year’s unusually cool spring. In the interim, Iris ensata is putting on a show. Large, flat flowers on strong, thin stems float above narrow, strap-like foliage. Mention “Iris” and most people think of the bearded types, or Siberian, or the petite, crested variety. Showy Iris ensata deserves wider appreciation.

Iris ensata is also called Japanese Iris or Japanese Water Iris. It prefers damp soil and will even tolerate brief periods of standing water, but it is tolerant of average moisture. Like bearded Iris, Japanese Iris arise from fat rhizomes. Unlike their beaded cousins, they prefer to be planted with the rhizome vertical. They want full sun and an acidic soil, and are winter hardy in zones 5-9. Most varieties have blue or purple flowers, but a few are pink or white. While they have standards and falls, the flattened flowers remind one of a large butterfly. They do not have fuzzy beards. When in bloom, the stems can rise to 3-4 feet.

Iris ensata flowers have a long vase life. Plants are deer resistant. Introduce a few of these bulbs to the mixed border, where the summer flowers can be enjoyed over shorter companions that will hide the unremarkable foliage when they are not in bloom. Divide every 3-4 years to maintain good flowering.

Iris ensata ‘Pinstripe’

These were a passalong gift from a gardening friend. They live happily along a creek bank that floods occasionally.

Elegant Calla Lilies

Calla lilies are a favorite flower for wedding bouquets and elegant cut arrangements. Even the Latin genus, Zantedeschia, has an elegant sound (pronounced zan-teh-DESK-ee-uh). They are widely available from florists, but a little pricey. How fortunate for gardeners, then, that they are so easy to grow.

Known as Calla lilies, these are not really a lily. Instead, they are a long-lasting South African bulb (rhizome) in the same family as Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Most internet sources and pre-packaged bulbs indicate that the bulbs should be planted 4 inches deep. In the southeast’s heavy clay soil, they want to be planted very shallowly, with the top of the bulb exposed. It can be challenging to determine which side is “up” so look carefully for the growing points. You can plant them outside after the soil is warm, or you can start them indoors if you are looking for a head start. They sulk in cool soil. For most bulbs, size matters – the bigger the bulb, the bigger the plant. In the case of Callas, size is not as important as the number of growing points or eyes. A large bulb with a single grow point will not produce as well as a much smaller bulb that have several points.

Callas prefer average to moist soils with plenty of organic matter but will not survive in a bog. They must have sun to bloom well, but full sun tends to scorch them a bit, so locate them in a partly shaded area. Ideal placement has morning sun, afternoon shade. Provide supplemental irrigation when rain is limited. Plants reach 20 to 30 inches tall. Even when not in bloom, Calla foliage is attractive, almost like an Arum. In the UK, the common name is Arum Lily. Many Callas have white freckles on their leaves. In my zone 7 garden, the leaves remain attractive until late fall. Don’t remove the foliage until it yellows.

Callas are often received as a gift potted plant, then discarded once the blooms fade. Please give them an opportunity to beautify your garden beds. (They do well in containers, too.) My favorite specimens came from a local grocery store. The plants had passed their prime, had been ignored by the staff (no watering), and looked dreadful. I allowed them to remain in their containers while they spent the winter in a cool garage with just a little water. In spring, I planted them outside in rich soil, morning sun, and plenty of water. They repaid my love with numerous flowers. These last a long time in the vase. Calla blooms are a spadix (a spike of tiny flowers) located in the throat of a spathe (a large bract or sheath). While white is the most common color, Callas come in an array of shades: yellow, apricot, pink, purple, deep red, and almost-black.

Callas are listed as cold hardy in zones 7 to 10. If you are cooler than zone 8, provide a deep but light-weight mulch like pine needles or grow them as annuals or houseplants.

Deer and rabbits usually leave Callas alone. The bulbs are highly toxic and may be fatal to humans and pets if eaten. Keep this in mind if you have indoor pets and plan to grow them as houseplants.

I divided and moved these two colors last August, at the worst possible time of the year. Yet, they survived and even bloomed in their new location.

Don't Disrespect Ditch Lilies

“Familiarity breeds contempt.” Or so said Geoffrey Chaucer in one of The Canterbury Tales. Perhaps that is why people hold the common orange day-lily, Hemerocallis fulva, in disdain. This “Ditch Lily” was a favorite of southern farmers’ wives in the 1950s and 60s, who prized their showy blooms and ease of growth. It is this effortless growth and rapid multiplication that causes concern. They “have the potential to become invasive,” per Invasives.org.

The common, orange Ditch Lily occurs in every eastern state. Like other members of the day-lily family, they thrive in full sun and prefer a slightly acidic, well-drained soil. They can be used instead of shrubs as a short hedge. They can also be used as a groundcover on slopes where mowing is impractical, and do a super job of preventing erosion. Ditch Lily flowers last only a single day, but they produce many, many buds so the bloom show goes on for weeks. Once all the buds on a stem have flowered, the naked stem can be removed to prevent seed formation and to make the plant look neater. This may encourage additional flowers.

Hybridizers have produced new colors, shapes, and forms of day-lilies. Colors have reached beyond the common orange to encompass all the warmer shades of the color wheel, from yellow to deep red or even purple, and everything between. Flowers are double, striped, freckled, curved. Some of these are highly valued (read: expensive). I particularly liked those with thick, ruffled petal edges until I heard a plantsman describe it as “chicken fat.” Now, I think of Tyson whenever I see those.

Whether your day-lilies are of the dug-it-from-the-roadside variety or one of the exorbitant specialty type, strands of the long grass-like foliage wilt and brown during the growing season. Growers advise us to remove the dead leaves as they occur, and cut off all the dead foliage once it is winter-killed. Rather than grooming my plants regularly to keep them neat, I follow a more radical (tough love) approach. Once half the foliage has browned, I gather it into a ponytail and decapitate it, leaving about four inches of leaf above soil level. Then I give the pruned plant a dose of liquid fertilizer. While plants will not repeat bloom, they do throw new foliage which is fresh-looking all the way to frost. I have not noticed a reduction in plant vigor as a result of this treatment.

Congested day-lily plants will have fewer flowers. To remedy, lift the entire clump, divide them and replant into amended soil. In fertile soil with plentiful water, you may need to divide every other year or every third year. When you lift a mature clump, you will find that it has formed a series of fleshy tubers, almost like a Dahlia. All divisions should have some of these little taters. After a vigorous division several years ago, I swept the damaged pieces off my garden bench into a bucket that contained discarded potting soil from a spent planter. Several weeks later, I discovered that each of the small bulbs had sprouted new leaves and roots. They are definitely survivors.

Day-lilies are drought-tolerant once established, and not prone to damage from insects or disease, although day-lily rust or leaf-streak may appear, as well as damage from thrips or slugs. Deer find the flowers and leaves quite tasty. I understand that day-lily flowers are edible, but have never sampled them. I prefer to enjoy them in the flower border – whether they are the high-dollar, super-hybridized variety, or the simple, old-fashioned orange Ditch Lily.

Ditch Lilies bloom along a country road

"Chicken Fat"

Pineapple Lily

Pineapple Lily (Eucomis comosa) is not a fruit, but a perennial bulb related to asparagus. Tiny buds are packed along a vertical stem, similar to Liatris. An active imagination might conjure this into a skinny pineapple, hence the common name. Eucomis (pronounced yoo-CO-miss or YOO-co-miss) are perennial in zones 7b through 10a. They bloom best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. They want a well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter and thrive with generous irrigation, although they will survive limited drought. Wet or boggy soils will result in root rot.

Pineapple Lily flowers attract bees and butterflies. Flowers are available in  ivory, pink, or lavender shades, often flecked with either green, burgundy or ivory. The long thick leaves emerge at ground level and resemble amaryllis or crinum. The blooms start opening at the bottom and work their way to the top, over a long bloom period of eight weeks or so. ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ is a widely available cultivar. It has lavender flowers on a purple stem and the leaves have a wine tint also. ‘Freckles’ has reddish flowers. There is a cultivar with yellow/green flowers and foliage, but I have not found it in local nurseries.

The narrow, upright growth form means this plant can be sited in tight spaces where many other flowers would not fit. A mature clump will reach two feet tall with a spread between one and two feet. They look spectacular when planted in large drifts. Pineapple Lilies also perform well in containers, but I recommend that you keep them away from nose-level. They are pollinated by flies, so it is not a surprise that some of them smell rank. Bulbs in the ground should be somewhat deep (4-5 inches) but those in containers should be just under soil surface. A winter mulch helps ensure their longevity.

A group of Eucomis

Crocosmias Glow In The Heat

When the “feels like” temperatures are in triple digits, many annuals and perennials slow down or even stop blooming. This makes us appreciate those stalwarts that bloom through the hottest days of the year. One of these is Crocosmia (pronounced Crow-KAHZ-mee-ah).

Crocosmia leaves resemble gladiola or Siberian Iris. The blooms occur at the topmost part of a wiry stem. They last a long time as cut flowers. Blooms are most often red (‘Lucifer’ cultivar) or orange, occasionally yellow. Hummingbirds flock to all shades. They look especially great when paired with blue Salvia.

Crocosmia, sometimes called Montbretia, is a type of bulb known as a corm. Corms are much smaller than true bulbs like tulips or daffodils. They create a new bulb each year to sustain them through cold weather. These storage units stack themselves on top of each other, gradually developing into a loose chain, like a sleeve of Ritz crackers, only much smaller. The bond joining the corms is not strong, so they break apart when gardeners attempt to dig them up to relocate them. The corms left behind sprout into new plants, leading gardeners believe that they spread to the point of invasiveness.

Crocosmias are hardy in zones 6 to 10. They look best when planted in groups of 10 or more. Blooming is heaviest when the clumps of bulbs are divided every three years or so. Because they reproduce readily, many gardeners will be happy to share their divisions. They should be planted in full sun to light shade, in slightly acidic soil. Crocosmias are not browsed by deer or rabbits, and are usually ignored by slugs. A winner!

Orange Crocosmia glow when backlit by sunshine.