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Blue Lilies (Agapanthus praecox)

South Africa

Cape of Good Hope

Southern Africa

 

HAPPY EASTER to everyone who celebrates the holiday!!!

 

Agapanthus praecox (common agapanthus, blue lily, African lily, or lily of the Nile) is a popular garden plant around the world, especially in Mediterranean climates. It is native of Natal and Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, local names include agapant, bloulelie, isicakathi and ubani. Most of the cultivated plants of the genus Agapanthus are hybrids or cultivars of this species. It is divided into three subspecies: subsp.praecox, subsp. orientalis and subsp. minimus.

 

Agapanthus praecox is a variable species with open-faced flowers. It is a perennial plant that can survive up to 75 years. Its evergreen leaves are 2 cm wide and 50 cm long. Its inflorescence is in umbel. The flowers of the agapanthus are blue, purple or white and bloom in the summer. They give capsules filled with fine black seeds (to be kept cool in sand until sowing). Its stem reaches one meter high. Its roots are very powerful and can break concrete.

 

The plant prefers a well-drained soil, but supports a poor soil. Exposure to full sun is preferable, but it supports partial shade. It does not like to be moved. It can be multiplied by sowing (flowering under 3 to 4 years) or division of tufts. It tolerates drought once well installed, but watering is preferable in case of long dry periods. It overwinters as a stump and therefore completely disappears during the cold months. Contrary to popular belief, this species can withstand wind, frost and cold up to −15 °C provided that the strains are protected for the first two years with mulching. - Wikipedia

 

 

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Uploaded on April 4, 2021
Taken on September 15, 2011