Steve: Our earliest recorded flowering of agapanthus here is late May and peak bloom for us is from early June - late July. I hope this helps. At 08:50 AM 11/15/2005 -0500, you wrote: >Tony, > >Thanks for your response, I love your nursery and your work with new material. I hope to take a trip there sometime soon (that's relative, next year I would imagine). > >Which ones come into bloom earliest for you? Between Crinums and Zephyranthes, I have plenty of material that blooms mid or late summer to frost. I think I've seen an Agapanthus in this area as early as June, but I might be mistaken. > >Thanks, > >Steve > >-----Original Message----- >From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org >[mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Tony Avent >Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 07:25 AM >To: Pacific Bulb Society >Subject: Re: [pbs] Agapanthus > > >Steve: > > I can't address winter hardiness of agapanthus in Zone 5, but can >certainly talk about Zone 7b. We have been trialing agapanthus here since >the mid 1990's and are currently growing 59 different cultivars. There is >a huge difference in not only survivability, but flowering. We welcome >visitors to schedule appointments when they are in flower. > >At 10:46 PM 11/14/2005 -0500, you wrote: >>Excellent suggestions so far (keep 'em coming please). The "two" thing is >somewhat arbitrary, but the point is that I don't plan to become a >collector of them, I just want some representation. >> >>The toughest thing I'm encountering is getting information about their >performance down here in the SE USA. This is not a much used (although it >is hardly absent) genus in this region. >> >>Most come from drop shipments to the big box chains that get things from >California or Southern Texas. Most are the evergreen sort. Here I've seen >some of the evergreen forms do alright, but they don't remain evergreen. >Others don't do at all. >> >>An English, or Western North American zone 8 is so different than my 7b. >I'm 7b due to one or two days in winter when Siberia moves to "Jawja" for >some southern hospitality:) Otherwise we have mild wet winters that are >also fairly short. So hardiness doesn't always translate well here. >> >>Sometimes I read literature from England that speaks of a plant's >tenderness and it shocks me because it is so tough here, then I'll read of >another plant I would love to grow, and can't, since it is absolute lows, >not duration of winter, that gets them. Then my 6 months of heat and >humidity coupled with ample (if unpredictable) rainfall in addition to red >clay hardpan add another variable to the mix. >> >>Oops it's late and I'm getting tangental. I think I will get one of these >deciduous hybrids, and then strike out with some evergreens in some >microclimates around the house and see how they do. >> >>Thanks, >> >>Steve >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org >>[mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Rodger Whitlock >>Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 05:06 PM >>To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >>Subject: Re: [pbs] Agapanthus >> >> >>On 13 Nov 05 at 23:29, Burger, Steve wrote: >> >>> If one could only find room to grow two [agapanthuses] which >>> two would you choose? >> >>'Bressingham Blue' and 'Bressingham White' >> >>One problem with Agapanthus is that many forms (species, >>cultivars, what-have-you) are fairly tender, while others >>aren't. In particular, I suspect that cultivars originating in >>California are less hardy than those which originate in >>England, say. >> >>And both of these Bressingham cultivars are of English origin. >> >>Neither is a large plant, inflorescences maybe 2' (60 cm) >>high. B.Blue is an exceptionally deep indigo blue, but B.White >>is, frankly, rather washy. >> >>Nonetheless: I'm always tempted by the huge A. africanus forms, >>even though I know they'll need winter protection from frost. >>Some of them, esp. the whites, are outstanding. >> >>But being a self-controlled and highly moral sort, so far I >>have resisted temptation... >> >>We're zone 8b here, but are subject to "arctic outflows" of >>extremely icey air. Not every winter, but often enough that >>marginally hardy plants get nailed too often for comfort. >> >> >>-- >>Rodger Whitlock >>Victoria, British Columbia, Canada >>Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate >> >>on beautiful Vancouver Island >>_______________________________________________ >>pbs mailing list >>pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >>_______________________________________________ >>pbs mailing list >>pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >> >Tony Avent >Plant Delights Nursery @ >Juniper Level Botanic Garden >9241 Sauls Road >Raleigh, NC 27603 USA >Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F >Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F >USDA Hardiness Zone 7b >email tony@plantdelights.com >website http://www.plantdel.com/ >phone 919 772-4794 >fax 919 772-4752 >"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least >three times" - Avent >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > Tony Avent Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, NC 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdel.com/ phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent