Whenever I see a bright bunch of agapanthus , I believe of sun , warmness , and tropical locales .
But these fellow member of the amaryllis family may also need to care with chilly winter temperatures – their grow zone suitableness ranges from Zone 6 to Zone 11 .
Deciduous varieties can weather conditions in Zone 6 , with temperature ranging all the way down to -10 ° F in the wintertime .
Evergreen varieties are less cold hardy , and are therefore more suitable to refinement zona 8 and up . But even in Zone 8 , winters can get cold , and freeze temperatures can scratch even in locales in Zone 9 .
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Maybe you ’re a maverick who plant some lily of the Nile in Zone 5 , and you ’re wondering if you may keep your lush , coloured plant alive throughout the wintertime . I know the feel .
If you require to learn more about how to domesticate this unique plant , check out our growing template . In this article , we ’ll be pore on keeping the plant fond during the cold wintertime month .
Here ’s what you ’ll identify :
How to Keep Agapanthus Happy in Chilly Weather
What Does Agapanthus Need During the Cold Months?
There are two things these plants do in winter , depending on the species .
Deciduous mintage go sleeping , with their long , spade - like leaf dying back while the rhizomes are tuck under the soil , alive and well .
Evergreen coinage , on the other hand , keep their foliage throughout the winter and would prefer to stay warm , give thanks you very much .
The species you planted in your flowerbeds , inherited from a former house physician , or just nibble up at the greenhouse should touch up with your growing zone .
If you ’re not sure if the miscellany in your garden is deciduous or evergreen , try this test : observe the industrial plant tight as the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. get shorter and colder in the gloam .
Does it begin to conk out back , signal to begin to go into dormancy by the fading illumination and chilly gentle wind ? It ’s probably deciduous .
If it stays green despite the colder strain and lower light , then it may be an evergreen – which means you need to storm up the winter security ASAP !
Agapanthus has dissimilar wintertime care requirements , depend on whether you ’ve gotan evergreen or a deciduous multifariousness , so we ’ll split this guide consequently .
Caring for Deciduous Plants in Winter
During the winter , deciduous miscellany do best if temperatures remain systematically between 40 and 50 ° F .
Allow the leaves to die back naturally , so energy for next year will be stored in the rootstock . When all the leaves turn brownish and have died back , you could cut the stem back to four inches above the ground .
Since the plant has no leaves during the winter , there are no unclouded requirements to follow until foliage begins to originate back again in the outflow – at which item , it once again needs full sunshine in purchase order to thrive .
According to expertsat the New York Botanical Garden , you should water the soil once every two or three hebdomad during the winter – just enough so that it does n’t go bone teetotal about four or five column inch down .
This winter attention will prolong deciduous lily of the Nile plants if they are grow in the ground in Zones 8 and 9 .
Gardeners in Zones 6 and 7 will also need to apply a two- to three - inch stratum of organic mulch in advance of the first frost .
Keep an eye on the weather in your area as well as the anticipated first Robert Lee Frost particular date , and make certain toapply mulchif temperature go below 40 ° F .
Shredded leave , bark mulch , and straw are all good choice .
Tips for Providing Extra Protection for Deciduous Varieties
Say your daredevil self is produce agapanthus in Zone 5 . Or maybe you live in Zone 6 , and you do n’t intrust mulch alone to keep your flora fond .
What can you do ? Transplant it !
you may help your works outlive a insensate winter by transplanting it into a container , and moving it to an insulated garage or basement for the winter .
You ’ll first desire to take a planter that ’s 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide , with drainage trap . Add fresh , well - draining potting admixture to the container , filling it about halfway .
Then , take out your agapanthus from its spot in your garden by using a trowel to tick off out a circumference that ’s at least six inches aside from the foliage .
Dig down around the entire circumference , going about eight to 12 inches deep before slowly tugging the plant out .
Set it in its new container and add more potting commixture , leaving an inch between the top of the soil and the lip of the weed .
H2O exhaustively , making sure water lead out the bottom of the pot , and move the container to your insulated garage or basement that will ideally stay put between 40 and 50 ° atomic number 9 .
We do n’t recommend bringing deciduous agapanthus works inside , however . Moving these into a ardent part of your home can preclude the plant from going sleeping , which can affect its wellness and ability to blossom come springtime .
Once the days get longer and warmer in the leap , about two workweek after your area ’s average last frost particular date , you’re able to lend the plant back out of doors and either leave it in its container or move it back into its original planting orbit .
Keep in judgment that transplanting your agapanthus more than once every three to four years can affect its ability to bloom , so you may want to leave it in a container indefinitely . This will make winter maintenance easy every year !
Lifting Agapanthus to Store in Newspaper
you could also employ the method mentioned above to elevate the rhizomes , but instead of repot them , you could hive away them in a dark , cool position with constant temperatures between 40 and 50 ° F .
To do this , you ’ll line a composition board box with paper and then fill it with a dry constitutional culture medium like coconut coir or sawdust .
After you hoist the tuberous rootstalk , employ a sulfur powder to them to help prevent fungal infections , and then lie them in the newspaper - lined box . Store it in a cool , dark , dry area .
Lifting rhizomes in this fashion is vulgar for many tender plants that may not be able to survive cold winters , such asdahliasandgladiolus . you could read more about the process inour guide to lifting Dahlia pinnata for winter reposition .
Just think to put them back in the ground two calendar week after your area ’s median last frost date in the spring !
Caring for Evergreen Varieties in Winter
Unlike their deciduous opposite number , evergreen plant varieties do n’t do well at all in Zones 6 or 7 .
Instead , they ’re suited to zone 8 through 11 , and during the winter , they still involve full sun and temperature no abject than 55 to 60 ° atomic number 9 , say the expert at the New York Botanical Garden .
If you inhabit in an area where temperature do n’t swing below 55 ° F , there ’s not much you need to do during the wintertime except water your plant less often , since it is n’t actively growing – once every week or calendar week and a half should do .
Just do n’t reserve the soil to get pearl dry two inches down .
Do keep an oculus on the weather , though , to check that you ’re not caught off guard by a surprise cold duck soup .
If temperatures are promise to remain below 55 ° fluorine , you’re able to bring a two- to three - inch layer of mulch to the root word area to assist keep the plant insulate .
you could also pop a portable mini glasshouse over top of the plants to trap some heat and protect them from temperatures below 55 ° F . I like this one from Outsunny , uncommitted at the Home Depot .
Portable Mini Greenhouse
If you incidentally planted an evergreen variety in your Zone 6 or 7 garden , do n’t care ! you could move the agapanthus into a container and winter it indoors .
verify the lights are about one to two inch away from the flora .
Once transplant , you may need to consider leaving your evergreen agapanthus in a throne for at least a few years .
stir up the root more than once every three to four geezerhood can stress the plant and prevent it from blooming faithfully .
Fearless Frosts
With a turn of extra care , your pretty plant life will prosper during the wintertime and be quick for resplendent spring and summer seasons .
In the meantime , remember to ascertain out these additional articles ongrowing agapanthusnext :
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Laura Ojeda Melchor
