"Rupert" wrote in message
...

"Tiger303" wrote in message
...

Two questions regarding making sure both my agapanthus and delphiniums
come back strong next year with the cold winter forecast.

firstly with regard to the delphinium, do i cut whats left of the
leaves to the ground and cover with a mulch, or something else? I've
got some well rotted manure i could put over the crown, but i think i
read somewhere that manure can burn the roots of delphinium, but maybe
the author meant new manure thats not well rotted.


with regard to the agapanthus, i got some roots of both white & blue
colours from parkers and although the leaves have grown very strongly
this year in a pot they didn't flower. i've read that in the first year
its quite often they don't flower, and they're in the sunniest position
i have so i'm worried about no flowers until next year. Although it
wasn't until the August that i read in the RHS garden magazine that
they do need to be feed, when somewhere else i read that they don't,
anyone care to comment, perhaps its matters whether theyre evergreen or
decidous.

i'm pretty sure mine are decididous, it never said in the parkers
catalogue and the leaves are still remarkably green, but then again
they are near the warmth of the house. I think they were listed as
hardy so perhaps i dont need to worry about giving them a mulch, but i
thought i'd ask whether i should give them one. Again can i use the
well rotted manure, and do i just cover them completely, or is it more
cover the soil, but don't cover where they shoot from the root?

thanks for your help!


--
Tiger303

I just cut Delphiniums straight to be ground.

Your Agapanthus can be left alone and the leaves will soon be gone.
Do not feed it-make it struggle and become pot bound-this will force it
into
flower eventually.
The Parkers bulbs are fine and I am pretty certain you will get a few
flowers next year on the blue one.
The white one you got would have been a smaller root and may need that
extra
year before flowering.

As for the manure,only use well rotted manure as new stuff has lots of
ammonia in it.Only put around the crown ,not on top of the plants.This would
cause rotting etc.If you are worried about the agapanthus and they are in
pots you could bring them close to a south facing fall, rap them in fleece
for protection or put a thick layer of mulch around the crown.I put mine in
my unheated greenhouse,i have 3 in seperate teracotta pots.
Thanks Keith
PS Most stay evergreen if given protection,mine only lost a few leaves last
year.