Find out more about the African Lily – a graceful summer flower

In summer every garden has to radiate joy and color. That is why it is important which flowers you choose for the flower beds and as container plants. The African Lily is a wonderful summer flower, which gives your garden not only happiness, but also elegance. Because the ornamental lilies captivate the eye both in the pot and in the bed. In the following we will tell you what you should know about this gentle and at the same time robust summer flower.

Muscari, an amazing plant for colorful flower beds

General information about the African Lily

Decorative lilies are perennials and belong to the leek family. Their origin comes from South Africa. The other name of the African Lily is love flower. It comes from the botanical name of the plant – Agapanthus, which comes from the Greek words “agape” for love and “anthos” for flower.

African lilies bloom from July to August. Not all ornamental lilies are summer flowers, however. There are also evergreen specimens among the ten types of ornamental lilies. In colder countries, the evergreen species only thrive in buckets. It is essential that these hibernate inside. The deciduous species, on the other hand, can be planted in the bed. Of course, if they thrive in mild regions.

The African Lily fascinates with its bell-shaped flowers. In most cases, these are blue-violet or white. They stand in a rounded, terminal inflorescence. The ornamental lilies have long stems and beautiful leaves. The leaves of the different types and varieties look different. Agapanthus impresses not only with green foliage, but also with striped or white-edged foliage. Some varieties have leaves 10 cm long, others reach 100 cm.

Physostegia a beautiful, delicate look flower for your pot and garden

How do you need to care for the African Lily?

The African Lily blooms briefly in this country. If you take care of it properly, it turns into a real eye-catcher, even if for a short time. The sunny and sheltered place is the best for the African lily. Nevertheless, it also thrives well in the shade. The agapanthus needs a lot of water, especially during the flowering period. So water it extensively at least once a week. Make sure that the potted plants have enough drainage holes so that the roots are protected from waterlogging. It is also recommended that no water remains in the coaster. The soil for the African lily in the garden bed should be as nutritious as possible and well water-permeable. If the agapanthus is planted in a bucket, mix the soil with a little sand.

Fertilize the African Lily once a month with high-quality container plant fertilizer. The reason: the plant needs a lot of nutrients. If you over-supply the agapanthus with fertilizer, it will hardly produce any flowers. It is advisable not to use fertilizer in late summer and autumn so that there are no problems with wintering.

Evergreen ornamental lilies have to hibernate in a light winter quarters. Some ornamental lilies, on the other hand, can also spend the winter in dark rooms. For all ornamental lilies, however, the winter quarters do not have to be either too warm or too cool. The temperature must be between five and eight degrees Celsius. The flowers must also be overwintered as dry as possible. So only water this when the soil has dried out. In principle, the ornamental lilies did not break to be cut. However, if there are withered flowers, you should remove the entire flower stalk.

An easy way to change the color of your hydrangea to pink, blue and purple

Does the African Lily get sick?

As a rule, ornamental lilies are particularly robust. Plant diseases and pests can hardly harm them. Even so, it is a common occurrence for aphids to attack the leaves. The African lily often produces many leaves, but hardly any flowers. In such cases, you could help the plant by adding a suitable fertilizer. Sometimes the reason for this is that the winter is too warm.