Agapanthus (African lily) are very popular plants. They have very structural flowers of a much appreciated color, lending the garden a unique beauty. This is a very useful plant for summer display. In this article we will learn how to divide agapanthus.
It grows vigorously and forms very dense leaf tufts. From the center of these tufts emerge thick, straight stalks with round bell-shaped flower heads.
The most traditional colors are blue and white, but there are varieties with other combinations of these shades.
Agapanthus are also great choices for pots and patios in sunny locations.
Dividing agapanthus
As agapanthus grow, it becomes necessary to divide them. Either so that they have room to reinvigorate, or to multiply them and plant in new places in the garden.
Division becomes even more important when agapanthus are grown in pots.
In this case, the roots will fill the pot after some time and the plants will be deprived of nutrients and oxygen to survive. Therefore, it is essential that you divide them and replant with new soil. Also, it is likely that the force of its roots will break the pot over time. Be careful, especially if it’s a ceramic or terracotta pot.
So, in this article we will see step by step how to divide agapanthus and how to plant the new plants.
Here in our garden we have a line of well-established agapanthuses that are decades old. I will use these plants as a source of rhizomes for what I intend to do.
I want to plant a new hegde to separate two areas of the garden. I also want to plant a pot of agapanthus that I can take to the patio next to house during the summer.
When to divide agapanthus
It’s the end of winter and the foliage has been thinned to renew itself, it’s the right time to lift and split rhizomes.
To remove rhizomes, you need a heavy tool. The work is not easy, the roots of agapanthus are very strong. So I used a pickaxe and an ax in addition to the shovel.
We must cut segments that bring some roots and at least one set of leaves with a central bud. It is from there that the new plant will develop.
Look at the division I’m holding, it has fleshy roots and a tuft of leaves. New leaves will grow inside this tuft.
Then I cleared a patch of land by pulling as much weeds as I could.
I dug a ditch and distributed the agapanthus evenly along it. Then I planted them normally, keeping the rhizomes at the same height as before.
I watered very well after planting so that the soil is in close contact to the roots.
Over the next few years, these plants will develop and become compact, forming clumps that will resemble the effect of their original place.
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