Overwintering questions - agapanthus/delphinium
 

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!

Overwintering questions - agapanthus/delphinium
 

"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.

Overwintering questions - agapanthus/delphinium
 

"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.

Overwintering questions - agapanthus/delphinium
 

The message
from "keith ;-\)" contains these words:


"Rupert" wrote in message
...

"Tiger303" wrote in message
...

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


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.


I seem to recall that the deciduous Agagpanthus are hardier than the
evergreen ones. I have only evergreen ones and they have survived the
last few winters out of doors both in the ground and in a pot in a
fairly sheltered position, so if Parkers are saying hardy I should think
yours should be OK.
They like to be grown in quite sharp draining lean conditions. I
wouldn't overdo the manure as you will get leafy growth at the expense
of flowering.
Janet G

Overwintering questions - agapanthus/delphinium
 

"Janet Galpin" wrote in message
...
The message
from "keith ;-\)" contains these
words:


"Rupert" wrote in message
...

"Tiger303" wrote in message
...

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


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.


I seem to recall that the deciduous Agagpanthus are hardier than the
evergreen ones. I have only evergreen ones and they have survived the
last few winters out of doors both in the ground and in a pot in a
fairly sheltered position, so if Parkers are saying hardy I should think
yours should be OK.
They like to be grown in quite sharp draining lean conditions. I
wouldn't overdo the manure as you will get leafy growth at the expense
of flowering.
Janet G

Yes that's my understanding. The Parkers bulbs agapanthus shed their leaves
once the frosts come.
If put in a greenhouse I guess they would remain evergreen and flower much
earlier if left inside until June. That's what all the Stately homes seem
to do, but that may be because of the myth that they require totally frost
free conditions.

Overwintering questions - agapanthus/delphinium
 

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

thanks for all your replies, & yes the agapanthus is in a pot and as its only just over a metre from the warmth of the house and raised of the ground on pot feet i'm just going to leave it, let it become potbound upon which it should hopefully flower well.