76 THE ENGLISH GARDEN SEPTEMBER 2019
been bred after the last trial in 1990,” she reveals. Of
the AGM winners, she has many favourites. Among
the deciduous cultivars, which are hardy down to at
least -10°C, she rates vibrant blue ‘Midnight Star’
and ‘Northern Star’, both intensely coloured. Paler
‘Blue Moon’, scores highly with her – “it’s the best
all-rounder”, she says – as does the new bicolour
‘Twister’. Among the pendulous-flowered cultivars,
‘Sky’ and ‘August Bells’ both won AGMs, as did the
tall and late-flowering, deep-blue ‘Loch Hope’.
All of these cultivars are brilliant in borders, but
the tender, evergreen varieties have to be grown in
containers so they can be moved into a greenhouse
or conservatory over winter. It’s also best to protect
hardy agapanthus against cold and frost if they are
grown in pots. Christine explains that this extra
e ort is rewarded by “large, dramatic, flowerheads”.
While the evergreen agapanthus produce fewer
blooms, they are bigger and better than the
profusion of smaller flowers on deciduous cultivars.
Among the evergreens, new bicolour ‘Fireworks’
picked up an AGM; it also won third place in the
Plant of the Year competition at Chelsea 2019.
White-flowered ‘Snow Crystal’ and dark-purple,
lilac-striped ‘Megan’s Mauve’ won AGMs too. ■Broadleigh Bulbs, Bishops Hull, Taunton,
Somerset TA4 1AE. Display gardens open all year
Monday-Friday, 9am to 4pm, except Bank Holidays
(£2.50 donation to charity). Tel: 01823 286231;
broadleigh-bulbs.co.ukintroduced three fledgling
varieties: ‘Broadleigh
Babe’, a 90cm tall,
late-flowering, dark-blue
cultivar with upright stems
and pendulous blooms;
‘Aimee’, a 75cm, bicolour
flowering between July
and August; and ‘Jonny’s
White’, a short, 45cm, free-
flowering white that has
gone on to win an Award
of Garden Merit in the very latest RHS trials, along
with another 55 additional candidates, almost a
quarter of the 245 cultivars trialled.
Christine, who helped to evaluate the trials, is
thrilled to see so many agapanthus, both hardy and
non-hardy, deserving of the award. “Previously only
a few had an AGM, because the best cultivars had
Above Evergreen variety
‘Snow Crystal’ has large,
ornate, white blooms.
Right With their long
stems, agapanthus make
spectacular cut flowers
too – that is, if you can
bear to remove them
from the garden.Caring for agapanthus
Lady Christine Skelmersdale explains how
to grow these spectacular plantsGROWING ADVICEPlant agapanthus in open
ground any time during their
growing season. Give them
well-drained soil in full sun
and allow time to settle since
established plants flower best.
New plugs can take at least
four years to flower. Mulch
with straw or leaves to protect
deciduous plants over winter.
Do not disturb until plants
become over congested and
flowering decreases. Lift and
divide in spring as they come
into growth. Use a pruning saw
to cut through the crown, but
don’t make plants too small or
you will have to wait longer for
flowering. Trim the roots by half
before replanting.
In containers use loam-based
compost and place the plant in
the middle of the pot. They will
eventually reach 1m across so
start in a smaller pot and move
up a size each year.Evergreen, non-hardy
agapanthus need winter
protection, so move them into a
frost-free glasshouse or garage,
or cover with bubblewrap and
bring indoors if severe frosts
threaten. Do not water at this
stage: keep compost damp but
don’t fret if it dries out. In pots,
even hardy deciduous cultivars
will need to be kept frost-free
to prevent root damage.
When active growth begins in
spring, feed with low-nitrogen
fertiliser or tomato feed to
improve flowering and water
regularly, at least once a week
but do not over-water.
Plants flower best when pot-
bound, but once pots become
over-congested, divide as
above. It can be dicult to
extract mature, overgrown
plants from containers, so
consider planting in plastic pots
and concealing these within.PLANT FOCUS