Graceful exotic plant agapanthus, also called African or Nile lily, will be a wonderful decoration for your garden and home. Translated from the Greek name means "flower of love" ("agape" - love and "anthos" - flower). Previously, the opinions of scientists about which genus to include this perennial African plant (they were representatives of Lily, and Amaryllis, and Onion families), diverged, and today it is an independent separate species, from which the name of the flower - Agapanta. Its homeland is South Africa, where, in the wild, it grows mainly off the coast and on mountain slopes.
- Description of Agapanthus
- Care and landing
- In the open ground
- At home
- Breeding
- Seeds
- Way of dividing
- Diseases and pests
- Fertilizer
- Transfer
- Types and varieties (with photos)
Description of Agapanthus
Agapanthus is a very sweet plant, the main varieties of which are evergreen. The flower has an interesting shape of leaves and a long peduncle, which makes this representative of the flora unique, as well as flowers of extraordinarily delicate tones.
The main characteristics that describe the appearance of agapanthus:
- roots: powerful, fleshy;
- rhizome: creeping, short;
- leaves: radical, gathering in the socket;
- leaf shape: linear, belt-like;
- peduncle: long (up to 1.5 m), thick;
- flower color: white, saturated blue, lilac-blue;
- inflorescence form: umbrella-shaped;
- flower shape: funnel;
- flowering period: for 2 months;
- number of flowers in inflorescence: about 150;
- growing medium: open ground (garden, manor, flower bed), room conditions (pot, seedling).
Care and landing
In order for the plant to fully develop both in the garden and in the house,it needs to provide certain conditions: heat and sun, slightly acidic or neutral soil with organic elements, as well as regular, but moderately watered.
In the open ground
If we talk about growing agapanthus in the open field, then his love for a mild climate indicates intolerance to cold. With any change in weather in the negative side below +10 ° C shelter needed. This can be a box sprinkled with sawdust, pebbles or sand.
In regions with severe winters, frosting agapanthus is dug up, placed in a separate box and a cool room, and in spring the plant is returned back to the garden.
- soil for planting: a mixture of humus, clay-sod land, leafy humus and sand (proportions - 2: 2: 1: 1);
- sufficient illumination of the garden plot: the south, west or east-south sides with light shading without hitting the direct rays of the sun;
- excellent development even in the cool season (at a temperature of + 10-12 ° C), despite the fact that agapanthus is a fairly light and heat-loving plant;
- no need for additional moistening / spraying the leaves - the plant copes well with dry air in both indoor conditions and in the garden area;
- plentiful watering from the beginning of spring to mid-autumn, gradually decreasing as the onset of cold weather.
At home
Principles to be observed when planting agapanthus and caring for him at home:
- landing site - a spacious pot or barrel;
- drainage at the bottom of rubble or pebbles;
- in winter, the air temperature should not exceed +15 ° C, water very rarely, only slightly wetting the soil in order to avoid drying out the roots;
- in the spring, it is better to put the pot in the sun window or another place and start abundant watering until mid-autumn;
- in summer, agapanthus should be brought out almost all day to fresh air.
Breeding
The plant can be propagated in several ways: seed and by dividing the root.
Seeds
If you are thinking about breeding agapanthus from seeds at home, then they are best sown for seedlings in March. A deciduous-sandy mixture or a mixture of soil and sand is suitable as a soil. Seeds lightly sprinkled with soil, and then covered with glass.
Way of dividing
Reproduction by dividing the root often occurs during plant transplantation, but here too Some rules, compliance with which will help to achieve the desired result:
- need to separate parts of the roots of medium size, because too small roots can be an obstacle to flowering;
- planted separated roots in pre-wetted soil;
- too overgrown or large rhizomes divide in the spring season.
Diseases and pests
Among the diseases that can disturb the plant, The most common are the following:
- fungal diseases (cause - coolness and dampness, treatment - treatment with a fungicide solution);
- yellowing of the leaves (the reason - the wrong too frequent / too rare watering, treatment - adjustment of watering);
- scytowka and spider mite (they can be removed using ordinary soap washing the plant);
- slugs and snails, especially active at night (eliminated manually or scared off by the switched on light / scattering of eggshell aroundplants).
Fertilizer
Like any living creature, agapanthus needs to strengthen its growth and development - feeding. The best option for normal plant care will be regular (every 10 days) soil fertilization with mineral and organic components that can be alternated for the best effect. Top dressing is made from the middle of spring to the middle of autumn.
Transfer
All processes of plant transplantation must be carried out very carefully, otherwise the slightest damage to the roots of agapanthus can lead to his death. Small representatives of the flora can be transplanted once a year in the spring, and more adult - no more than once in 3 years. Agapanthuses of more advanced age are allowed to transplant every 5 years, but it is better not to touch them at all.
Types and varieties (with photos)
For a long time, scientists disagreed on whether or not to distinguish different species, since they are all similar to each other. The most common varieties in the cultivation of this amazing perennial are:
- Agapanthus umbrella. It is a shrub with a huge root, growing in height up to 70 cm. The unique arrangement of dark green leaves, grooved, narrowed at the end is a feature of this plant variety, giving it a certain beauty. The color of flowers appearing in the mid-end of summer is bright blue.
- Eastern agapanthus looks very beautiful due to the dense, wide-linear leaves of a curved shape. With good development reaches a height of 60 cm. In July-August, you can see the flowers of light blue color with a slightly mauve tinge.
- Agapanthus bell-shaped has erect, linear leaves, and reaches a height of only 15 cm (miniature variety). It blooms in July-August with bell-shaped flowers of dark blue or blue color. Most quickly adapts to adverse conditions.
The above species are also the most promising varieties for breeding hybrids. For home conditions most suitable:
- African agapanthus, which appeared in Europe in the years 1601-1700.On the leaves of this plant species there is a white stripe, and it blooms with blue and blue flowers, reaching a height of about 68 cm.
- The crossed form of African agapanthus is quite rare grade "Albus"blooming with white flowers.
