Agapanthus
Extremely tough, drought-tolerant once established and copes with coastal wind and poor soil. It self-seeds readily in warmer regions and is an environmental weed in parts of NZ, so deadhead spent flower heads before they set seed rather than let them spread into wild areas.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 60cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Mature height
- 1m
- Flowering season
- Jan, Nov, Dec
- Common diseases
- Grey mould (botrytis)
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, Slugs and snails
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: March-April and September-November. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: October-November.
Growing stages
Germination & planting
- Tolerant of poor soil and coastal wind, so not fussy about position as long as it's full sun
- Space plants around 60cm apart to allow clumps to spread
Establishment
- Water moderately while roots establish, even though mature clumps are drought tolerant
- Watch for slugs and snails around young growth
Vegetative growth
- Extremely tough and drought tolerant once established, copes with poor soil and coastal wind
- Mealybugs can build up in the crown or on leaf bases
- Grey mould (botrytis) can appear in damp, humid conditions
Flowering
- Deadhead spent flower heads before they set seed, as agapanthus self-seeds readily in warmer regions
- It's classed as an environmental weed in parts of NZ, so don't let seed heads spread into wild areas
Dieback & dormancy
- Growth slows over the cooler winter months, particularly in colder regions
- Established clumps cope with genuine neglect through the dormant period