In 2009 I purchased an African Lilly, it flowered in 2010. It got a Tomarite
feed. It hasn't flowered since.

We're 500' amsl and East facing, sop we get the same Winter temps as
Dartmoor (25 miles to the East). Each year, the frosts have reduced the
foliage to jelly. Last year I placed a frost fleece box around. The leaves
survived but it didn't work and it looks pretty ugly :-

Last Winter http://s20.postimg.org/riaiuqmgd/IMG_3248.jpg

As you can see from this pic taken today, the plant has spread and has
developed about 6 crowns:-

Today http://s20.postimg.org/a6a69asz1/P1000335.jpg

Q.1. Is it worth lifting the plant and moving to the East facing back
garden?

Q.2. If yes, can the plant be split into 6 plants?

Q.3. Should these be stored (dahlia style) and planted in Spring or can they
be replanted now. Thanks in anticipation.

On 2013-12-17 16:16:41 +0000, Chris Hogg said:

On Tue, 17 Dec 2013 15:22:11 -0000, "Bertie Doe"
wrote:

In 2009 I purchased an African Lilly, it flowered in 2010. It got a Tomarite
feed. It hasn't flowered since.

We're 500' amsl and East facing, sop we get the same Winter temps as
Dartmoor (25 miles to the East). Each year, the frosts have reduced the
foliage to jelly. Last year I placed a frost fleece box around. The leaves
survived but it didn't work and it looks pretty ugly :-

Last Winter http://s20.postimg.org/riaiuqmgd/IMG_3248.jpg

As you can see from this pic taken today, the plant has spread and has
developed about 6 crowns:-

Today http://s20.postimg.org/a6a69asz1/P1000335.jpg

Q.1. Is it worth lifting the plant and moving to the East facing back
garden?

Q.2. If yes, can the plant be split into 6 plants?

Q.3. Should these be stored (dahlia style) and planted in Spring or can they
be replanted now. Thanks in anticipation.

African Lily, proper name Agapanthus. Cultivation details he
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=60

They come in two general types; deciduous, that die down and
more-or-less disappear over winter, and evergreen, that keep their
leaves. Outdoors in the UK, the latter usually collapse into a
stinking heap of jelly at the first frost, as you have found, even
down here in west Cornwall. I'm surprised to see yours doesn't seem to
have suffered from frosts already. The RHS recommends a sand and straw
mulch over winter to protect them, although I think they'd still go
horrible under the mulch, but perhaps not frosted. I find the
deciduous ones do much better, even if they aren't mulched.

They can be split; I have done this with a sharp spade straight down
the middle, rather than trying to separate the individual crowns. But
I wouldn't do it now. They have a mass of brittle fleshy roots that
invariable get damaged when you dig them up. IMO they need the warmer
weather to recover from that trauma. You may not get flowers that
year. I don't know about lifting and storing them over the winter like
dahlia tubers, but I suspect it wouldn't be recommended.

They like a well drained soil, but not dry, and like full sun, so a
southerly aspect if you've got one. If it were mine, I'd cut off
what's left of the foliage, on the basis that it's going to die back
and/or get frosted anyway, and put a deep mulch of coarse compost or
chipped bark over the crown. Next spring, when new growth appears,
feed it regularly with a general purpose fertiliser. The annoying
thing is that there are places that grow huge patches of agapanthus,
with no more than studied neglect!

Other than agreeing, I have little to add to this, except that they do,
of course, need to be well drained and must be in full sun to do their
best. You will hear or read many comments about splitting them, not
splitting them, disturbing them, hating disturbance, crowding works,
over-crowding doesn't work and so forth. All I can say is that I have
known them grow for decades in one particular Jersey garden (the
evergreen Ags) where they were never touched and where they flowered
profusely, year after year. BUT they did have a south facing position
(except for those under some trees!) and good drainage on top of a
slope. Another bank of them in another garden did exactly the same, so
I suspect drainage is really important, as well as sun. They seem to
be one of those plants that suit themselves, no matter how much you try
to please them! Here, ours flower well on a sloping bed facing full
south. In another part of the garden, we planted some evergreen ones
facing full south and they were wrecked by frost. They can be grown in
well-drained containers, so for some, it may be worth considering that
method and giving them winter protection under glass, if necessary.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

"Bertie Doe" wrote

In 2009 I purchased an African Lilly, it flowered in 2010. It got a
Tomarite feed. It hasn't flowered since.

We're 500' amsl and East facing, sop we get the same Winter temps as
Dartmoor (25 miles to the East). Each year, the frosts have reduced the
foliage to jelly. Last year I placed a frost fleece box around. The leaves
survived but it didn't work and it looks pretty ugly :-

Last Winter http://s20.postimg.org/riaiuqmgd/IMG_3248.jpg

As you can see from this pic taken today, the plant has spread and has
developed about 6 crowns:-

Today http://s20.postimg.org/a6a69asz1/P1000335.jpg

Q.1. Is it worth lifting the plant and moving to the East facing back
garden?

Q.2. If yes, can the plant be split into 6 plants?

Q.3. Should these be stored (dahlia style) and planted in Spring or can
they be replanted now. Thanks in anticipation.

I've always believed the evergreen type are not hardy in the UK outside, pot
culture only. My ones grown for seed are the other type and they are hardy
of sorts but position is everything.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

In article , says...

I've always believed the evergreen type are not hardy in the UK outside, pot
culture only. My ones grown for seed are the other type and they are hardy
of sorts but position is everything.

I'm surprised at the comments on good drainage; because in NZ and
Madeira I've seen wet drainage ditches heavily colonised by agapanthus ,
and several varieties of deciduous types grow very well in my high-
rainfall garden, in places that are often water logged. I've not lost
one in 11 years here.
I don't give them any winter protection at all. We do have relatively
mild winters (just a few degrees of frost) but they have survived a
spell of several weeks cold enough that ice on the pond never melted.

Janet Isle of Arran

On Tue, 17 Dec 2013 19:05:25 -0000, Janet wrote:

In article , says...

I've always believed the evergreen type are not hardy in the UK outside, pot
culture only. My ones grown for seed are the other type and they are hardy
of sorts but position is everything.

I'm surprised at the comments on good drainage; because in NZ and
Madeira I've seen wet drainage ditches heavily colonised by agapanthus ,
and several varieties of deciduous types grow very well in my high-
rainfall garden, in places that are often water logged. I've not lost
one in 11 years here.
I don't give them any winter protection at all. We do have relatively
mild winters (just a few degrees of frost) but they have survived a
spell of several weeks cold enough that ice on the pond never melted.

Janet Isle of Arran

In my experience they flower better inpots, and potbound.
I keep mine undercover (no greenhouse) in winter. Last winter I
didn't do so and lost 3 pots which I had left out in the open.
The best ones I've seen in flower were in New Zealand in steep
roadside banks at Christmas, so obviously well drained.
Janet's experience is obviously very different so they must adapt very
well.
Yours look much the same as mine do, the narrow-leaved hardy ones.
I think they thrive on a good baking but not drying out in summer.
The broader leaved ones definitely need greenhouse protection in
winter. Give them full sun in summer.

Pam in Bristol

Thank you all for your tips and in particular Chris's RHS link

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=60

I will split it in half in Spring and move it to the back garden, where it
will be protected on 4 sides and will get full sun from mid morning.

Living 500' up in SE Cornwall doesn't guarantee plant longevity. During the
Winter of 2010/11, I lost a 6 year old wisteria from the back garden. Took 3
Summers before flowering - grrr.

Thanks again and fingers crossed. I may not get flowers till 2015. I'll dust
the wounds with sulphur powder in Spring.