Return to the Perennials Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
Posted by
summersunshine 5b (
My Page) on
Sun, Sep 16, 12 at 22:23
| I found an Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' marked down to $1 at the garden center, so I figured why not try to overwinter it?
Anyone else in Zone 5 have any luck overwintering agapanthus? Any advice on how to help it survive?
Any general feedback on 'Blue yonder'? I am surprised that nobody has posted anything positive or negative about this particular variety. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I believe most agapanthus are for zones 7 or warmer (maybe zone 6?), so if you're in zone 5 - you'll probably have to keep it inside for winter. The link below points to an article about zone 5 hardy agapanthus, but the author didn't have any success. I grew a few pots of these for years and had great success overwintering them in a very sunny window, but very cool conditions - 50's F down to high 30's F. I also kept them very dry. They bloomed like crazy each summer. From what I've read, the cool winter temps are necessary, so don't try to treat them like a house plant. After several years, I just got tired of lugging those huge pots inside every winter and they became compost pile material. Kevin |
Here is a link that might be useful: agapanthus
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I grew some Agapanthus from seed, bought at Park seed, 7-8 years ago and put them in pots and took them in each fall. Three years ago I got tired of bringing them in because they had grown to really large clumps and left them out in my garden. They have overwintered very well ever since. I just have about 2 inches of woodchips for mulch. They are a little late to break ground but grow quickly once started. They are just beautiful in bloom, everyone loves them. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I cannot speak for that variety of Agapanthus, but I can say that agapanthus is much hardier than believed. I live about 2 hours nw of the city of Toronto and have been growing both white and blue agapanthus for several years now. Both are hardy and increase in size every year. I do not winter mulch plants but snow cover here is reliable. I planted the blue agapanthus at least 7 years ago, and the white agapanthus about 4 years ago. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| This 'Blue Yonder' cultivar is supposed to be hardy to zone 5 from the info I've found so far. However, I am a bit skeptical since it sounds like very few people have grown this cultivar yet. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I overwintered Agapanthus once in a partially shady spot. Then it croaked. So did the supposedly hardy "Headbourne Hybrids" I raised from seed in a sunnier location. It might be worth trying again in a more protected area, like up against the house in a southern exposure.* I certainly wouldn't try it with a plant I bought this late in the season. *I'm making the attempt to overwinter a Crinum (C. americanum?) in just such a location. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I would also be concerned about the lateness of the season. Maybe keep it inside this winter if you have a cool spot and plant it out next spring. I would think once it has an entire growing season to settle-in, you would have a better chance of keeping it through a winter. If you Google the topic, there is a lot of info about how to keep these inside for the winter. I believe I read somewhere where someone keeps these plants in their basement, totally dark and dormant for the winter, but you would have to figure out what works for you. Kevin |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
My agapanthus is in an unprotected spot. The first clump I attempted to overwinter was near the house and it did not make it. I had wondered if the heat from the concrete steps awakened it too soon.
I am certainly not the only gardener here to overwinter agapanthus. I know that it is hardy near Wiarton, Ont., where I have several friends who grow it. Although Wiarton benefits from the lake effect, we and several other gardeners who grow it are well inland.
Try it. All you have to lose is a plant. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I post on the antique rose thread quite a bit and innocently suggested agapanthus as a change from hemerocallis. You would not believe the responses - what thugs they were, how common they were, everyone has them, snail magnets, invasive and so on. I was flabberghasted. In the UK, it is easy to forget the massive zone differences in the US and what is a choice, even rare and expensive plant for us, is just a common old everyday bore in California (where, it seems, everyone is a rose grower and the only perennials they have are a few daylilies) no, I am being a bit mean, but you get the picture? |
RE: seed raised agapanthus
| | |
| forgot to mention - for many years, the only reliably hardy agapanthus was the seed raised strain of Headbourne Hybrids (which have, like Pacific Giants delphs, gone off the boil a bit lately). However, it may be worth attempting to grow some from seed as it does give them a chance to become habituated to your zone. I don't like pushing zones because I am a lazy and somewhat negligent gardener (too many enthusiams all competing for limited attention) so if it fails to thrive, I don't try again (well maybe once or twice). |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
I am a lazy gardener, but I never mind pushing zones. There is no exact science of zones, so how am I to know unless I try. We don't water, feed or mulch our gardens. We do top-dress with compost heavily, which allows for heaps of neglect.
My brother-in-law lives in California and complains about how agapanthus is a self-seeding menace. He does it to tease me.
But, on the other hand, I make a huge deal about the tulips every spring, because they are expensive and must be pre-chilled in California. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| Size is an issue with me so I managed to get A. Peter Pan in a trade this spring. I potted it up and it's outside for the summer, among several other pots of flowers. I plan on trying to over winter it in an unheated garage this year. I have had success over wintering a Star Jasmine in this garage for several years. It gets pretty cold in the winter, but generally never freezes - unless we have one of those very, very cold winters, say down to minus 10 or more, which we haven't had in years. Then, I may have to move both plants inside for a while. I'll post next spring and give you my results - yah or nay!
LInda |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| Santa Rosa Gardens is running a clearance sale, and I noticed that they too had Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' marked down - so I decided to buy a couple more and experiment with them. :) I will try overwintering one in a pot in my garage and try the others in various spots in the yard. Maybe sheltering will make a difference in survival. |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| I resurrected this thread to update info on my potted Peter Pan Agapanthus. As soon as the weather warmed up, I brought it out from the unheated garage window and watered it. Most of the leaves were still green and looked healthy. A few had turned completely brown and I removed them. I did not water it at all during the winter while it was in the unheated garage. It started to grow some new foliage and soon had buds coming among the leaves. The first flower heads have opened and I love the color. I will have to repot it to the next size up pot and plan on doing that as soon as the bloom is finished. Linda |
RE: Agapanthus 'Blue Yonder' in Zone 5
| | |
| Congratulations on getting your agapanthus to bloom, Linda. We tend to take them for granted in SoCal where they can remain in the ground year-round. As a side story about their toughness, I have a little tale. I was repotting a variegated agapanthus (large-leafed type) and had removed all of the potting mix. But then I realized that I didn't have any more bags of potting mix. So I placed the bare-rooted agapanthus in the pot and... eventually... experimented with how tough it was by not potting it for 7 months. Ocasionally I would sprinkle the roots with water. The dang thing never even wilted! TOUGH plant. I wonder if they could be dug up and carried over bare-root style in cold climates where they need to be brought in. |
Post a Follow-Up
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in.
If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Perennials Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play
before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you
will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your
post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in
order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising
policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit
our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we
will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
