Hi, It's important to remember that some Agapanthus are deciduous and some evergreen. Most are from summer rainfall areas and a few from winter rainfall areas. Species growing in the southwest Cape are no doubt in the ancestry of most of the plants growing in California. They are evergreen, winter rainfall. They are often planted and generally easy to grow and bloom in California (if not eaten by the deer) and perhaps for some of us a bit boring for that reason. I am sure these evergreen hybrids and species we grow in California wouldn't be hardy as even in a colder than usual winter here the leaves get all mushy. On the other hand on our trip to South Africa in January we saw species blooming in the Drakensberg Mountains (summer rainfall) where it gets quite cold in winter. It was hard not to be impressed with many of them because looking at them often included a lovely view of land below. These species would be unlikely to thrive in California, especially if not watered in summer when it is dry. I have an unknown deciduous species that each year appears in early summer but never blooms although the friend who gave it to me has a better watered and warmer summer garden and hers bloom. So once again it is helpful to learn more about where the plant is found in the wild to see if you can create the conditions that will keep it happy. We also saw a species growing with Cyrtanthus in a lower elevation area in the Eastern Cape where they were growing on what looked like a rock cliff face, impossible to get close enough for a good photo. It would be impossible to recreate those kind of conditions. Obviously attention to drainage would be critical. Linda, you would probably have more luck with a summer rainfall species from a high elevation. Agapanthus africanus is a winter rainfall plant that blooms best in the wild after fires. It's the one I expect that is a parent of the ones we grow in California left in the ground year round. Cameron McMaster who is a member of our list collects and sell seeds. He'd be a good resource I'd think as he could give you information about where the seed was collected and he really knows the Eastern Cape as many of us can testify. Some of the species occur over a broad range of habitats and elevations so where they were collected could make a difference in their hardiness. Mary Sue