FOR THE LOVE OF AGAPANTHUS

FOR THE LOVE OF AGAPANTHUS

On a wall in the cottage there hangs a painting from the 1930s of a view from an Italian coastal villa looking out to sea. In the foreground, on an ornate terrace are two large terracotta pots filled with the most fabulous blue flowers on long, strong stems. I’d long admired this picture but didn’t know until we moved to Devon what the flowers were. They seemed exotic, foreign, dramatic and noble, but most of all they appeared to belong to another world, one of grand country house gardens amidst the Mediterranean landscape. The flowers are, of course, Agapanthus and I’m pleased to say that I have got over my sense of awe and have several pots of them dotted around the garden here at the cottage. Agapanthus can be sulky residents in the garden, not blooming for years, but be patient and you will be rewarded (as we have this year) with the most spectacular display of long-lasting blooms from early June through to late summer. Each bloom will last 2-3 weeks and come in a range of purple, blue or white flowers. The first plant we bought came from The Eden Project in Cornwall and was a decent size even then. That must have been 20 years ago and what once was a single plant now fills three huge pots that get manhandled in and out of the greenhouse each summer. These original plants now stand at around 4ft tall and from memory are called Blue Star or maybe Northern Star. Alongside these are pots of A.Queen Mum, a beautiful hybrid with bicolour flowers, blue at the base, white at the tip and a deep purple variety whose label has been sadly lost, but which blooms prolifically.

Many gardeners struggle with Agapanthus and I really must confess that I don’t know why that is. They are SO easy to look after and, unlike most plants, totally love being pot bound until they break the pot. If that happens, that’s the time to repot and not before. They almost thrive on neglect; maybe that’s the hot, dry African climate they hail from that does that. Once split and repotted they tend to sulk for a season or two before flowering again, I find, and they are so easy to grow from seed (if you’re not worried about them flowering true and happy to wait three years before they flower). Richard had a go a few years ago with a high rate of success, though his tip would be to use fresh seed. If you only buy one new plant this year, treat yourself to an Agapanthus, there are plenty of varieties to suit all sorts of gardens and courtyards so there’s no excuse!!

Now talking of seed sowing, Richard has been busy in the nursery sowing seeds of hardy annuals and biennials ready for next summer, yes summer 2024! It pays to be ahead of the game. Plants such as Foxglove and Ammi majis, Sweet Williams and Wall flowers grown now and pricked out in autumn will happily see the winter out under cover ready to get going in early spring. As a lover of any sort of foxglove we have trays of different varieties sown. From the pale yellow Digitalis lutea, the larger yellow D.grandiflora and short rusty coloured D.parviflora to the wonderfully tall and dramatic D.stewartii , D.ferruginea gigantea and copper flowered  D.laevigata and more delicate  D.lanata and D.ciliata, not forgetting D.mertonensis, the strawberry foxglove. I have yet to find seed available of Digitalis davisiana which I know exist but are rarely available. Another perennial foxglove, it’s a cross, I think between D.lutea and D.grandiflora but I’m happy to be corrected if anyone knows for sure!

JOBS FOR THE COMING WEEKS

1.      Prune all summer flowering shrubs, such as climbing hydrangeas once blooms are finished.

2.      Water Camellias and Rhododendrons thoroughly this month to ensure next year’s buds develop

3.      Cut back faded perennials to keep your borders tidy.

4.      Time to take cuttings of tender perennials (pelargoniums and fuchsia) to propagate for next year

5.      Prune climbing roses and ramblers once they’ve finished flowering.

6.      Water sweetcorn plants regularly to get the best cobs.

7.      Harvest French and runner beans little and often to prevent them setting seed.

8.      Harvest courgettes before they get too big (too late here at the cottage sadly!!)

9.      On a dry sunny day start harvesting seed of herbs like fennel and caraway, plus perennial foxgloves and other early perennials, ready for next year’s sowing.

10.   Damp down your greenhouse on hot days to increase humidity and deter red spide mites.

GARDENS OPEN FOR THE NGS IN THE COMING MONTH.

26th/27th August Stone Farm, Bideford https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/20796/stone-farm

26th/27th August Lewis Cottage Spreyton https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/25097/lewis-cottage

More information on the garden at Lewis Cottage can be found here https://lewiscottageplants.co.uk