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Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: Grandma on February 23, 2011, 23:10:16

Title: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: Grandma on February 23, 2011, 23:10:16
My agapanthus 'Headbourne Hybrid' is about 12 years old and has made a huge plant - (last year it produced 21 flower heads) - but instead of holding the flowers upright the stems arch over. Without support, the flowers would almost touch the ground. I try to tie them up but the result is a mess of curved stems, canes and string!

Does anyone know if there is anything I can do to make it more upstanding, please? Should I feed it with something - ( a friend suggested Viagra ::)) - if so what and when?

Thank you.
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: saddad on February 24, 2011, 07:38:15
Ours do (Did) that too... if it can be solved I'm interested.
We are probably going to have to start again... many if not all of ours were killed by the snow and frosts..  :'(
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: shirlton on February 24, 2011, 07:54:04
We have or had(what with the weather) two. One white and one blue. The blue one stays upright but the white has always had longer bending stems.
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: ACE on February 24, 2011, 08:02:39
Put a green hanging basket upside down over the plant now before it starts growing, the plant will grow through the mesh and hide it. Works for most plants and is a better use than hanging the horrible things up full of tacky plants.

Or you could use/make these for really high plants
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgBP-obWB9yqJBuXtS1mKmIq0ilgTpStGef-OGYmMRMfv3JCYR)
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: admjh1 on March 08, 2011, 23:03:24
I have planted these for last three years and not so much as a leaf. What am I doing wrong please? When I have read about them I believed them to be fairly easy to grow. I think they are beautiful and would love another chance to get it right, so any tips would be lovely.
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: Tee Gee on March 08, 2011, 23:34:07
Do you feed them with anything?

Although I have a couple of Agapanthus I find they don' t suffer like yours do.

But I will offer a suggestion based on my experience with Dahlias which have similar stems.

Some  varieties of Dahlia suffer from soft stems that are unable to support the weight of the flowers and the way we got over that was feed them high potash feeds from the time the flowering stem appears.

This helped to ripen and stiffen the stems.

Perhaps this might work with Agapanthus.

I would say it is worth a try
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: saddad on March 09, 2011, 00:06:18
Failing that you could try viagra...  ;D
Title: Re: Agapanthus - advice please
Post by: hippydave on March 09, 2011, 03:37:11
Quote from: saddad on March 09, 2011, 00:06:18
Failing that you could try viagra...  ;D

She could but what can she try for the plants. ;D