Sun Stripe® Agapanthus foliage

Sun Stripe® Agapanthus foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Other Names:  Lily of the Nile, African Lily

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

A lovely variety producing mounds of beautiful green and gold variegated foliage with buttery yellow margins; light blue flowers appear in mid-summer on towering stems; a perfect accent plant in the garden or massed along borders

Ornamental Features

Sun Stripe® Agapanthus features bold clusters of sky blue trumpet-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from early to mid summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its narrow leaves remain green in color with showy buttery yellow variegation throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Sun Stripe® Agapanthus is an herbaceous annual with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sun Stripe® Agapanthus is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Sun Stripe® Agapanthus will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Sun Stripe® Agapanthus is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.