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AGAPANTHUS GUIDES

spent agapanthus blooms turning into pods

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Agapanthus are tender perennials that need protection over the winter calendar month but can be uprise in many UK gardens .

They are often grown in container so they can easy be moved hole-and-corner for the coldest months , though they can also be grown in a edge in southern , warm , sunny and protected gardens .

hand shown using a pair of red secateurs to cut back the yellowing leaves of a potted agapanthus

If you are growing Agapanthus , you might wonder if you should prune your industrial plant . And , if you do , when and how you should do so .

Here ’s the common process to fall out :

When To Prune Agapanthus

Agapanthus of the types which are trim are unremarkably pruned or cut back in October , or in March .

Whether you prune in fall or spring will for the most part depend on personal druthers .

Do You Need To Cut Back Agapanthus?

Whether or not you should prune Agapanthus at all depends on whether you are grow a deciduous or evergreen eccentric .

Deciduous case are normally cut back hard , but evergreen plant types are unremarkably left alone , unless you wish to give them a piddling tidy up for aesthetic ground .

Identifying Your Type

Deciduous Agapanthus are those which expire back over winter ; evergreen plant will keep their foliage yr - round .

Deciduous Agapanthus tend to be fearless than the evergreen types .

Deciduous types are sometimes overwintered outside with a thick mulch of chaff or autumn leaves to protect the crown , while evergreen types are almost invariably moved undercover for the winter months .

cutting african lily growth right back with secateurs

Pruning Deciduous Agapanthus

If you have a deciduous Agapanthus that you project to keep outside over the wintertime calendar month , then it is usual to cut back the stalks with drop flowers or seed head ( if these have not already been deadheaded ) to around 10 cm above the background .

However , I sometimes choose to will ejaculate heads in place , since these can be rather attractive , and only cut the plant back to the base in spring .

However , you may choose to leave behind the foliage in position to offer a little extra trade protection for the pate over the cold months before you slew back straggly old leaves in the early outflow to make way for new ontogenesis .

old foliage being cut back to reveal the plant crown

“ I move out the leaf of deciduous Agapanthus in late fall as I find that it molder quite quickly to a worthless mess , ” says RHS Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .

“ Unless you are in the very cold realm in the UK these Agapanthus should be perfectly brave without additional protection . ”

If growing in a container and impress under cover over the winter , you may choose to write out the plants right back down to the crown in Autumn ( as shown above ) .

red secateurs pruning straggly old growth from a potted agapanthus

“ Agapanthus stems can be pruned at earth level when the flower has go over unless you need to leave them in the garden for winter structure , ” says Patrick Fairweather , the Managing Director of Fairweather ’s Nursery .

“ Flower stem should also be removed from immature plants to advance tooth root and shoot ontogenesis . ”

Provided you overwinter adequately you will see novel shoots of ontogeny in the undermentioned Spring .

a potted agapanthus in a white container on a patio that has been fully cut back for the winter

I cover the works picture in the image above with a level of mulch and it survived the winter outdoors next to our garden wall .

Pruning Evergreen Agapanthus

Evergreen Agapanthus should usually not be pruned or cut back .

It should be left alone , away from removing any unsightly leave or removing particular portions of the plant with a little trim to improve its ocular appearance .

“ I enjoy the leafage of evergreen Agapanthus in the winter when most other perennials have died back , ” admits Colin .

“ I pull up stakes the stagnant blossom stems in place for attractive former winter social organization but remove these as wintertime progresses and the shank begin to degrade . ”