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