On Fri, 2 Dec 2005 17:00:45 +0000, Tiger303
wrote:


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

snip

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!

You don't say if your agapanthus are in the ground or in pots. They do
take longer to flower if in the ground. In pots they flower best when
they are pot-bound.
It is generally the case that the narrower the leaves, the hardier
they are. I have several pots of agapanthus and they stay out all yer
and take their cchance! The commonest and hardiest are the "Headbourne
hybrids". That may be what Parker's sent you.

Pam in Bristol