Agapanthus inapertus is native to Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa (Transvaal and Natal). It is found in open grasslands, forest margins and mountainous, rocky areas.
Agapanthus inapertus also called as Drakensberg Agapanthus, Drooping Agapanthus, is a species of the genus Agapanthus. This species was described by Gustave Beauverd in 1912.
IDENTIFY AGAPANTHUS INAPERTUS PLANT
Agapanthus inapertus is native to Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa (Transvaal and Natal). It is found in open grasslands, forest margins and mountainous, rocky areas.
It is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial which reaching 90-150 cm or more high with deciduous, rather upright, strap-shaped leaves, up to 70 cm long and 2-3 cm across, and stiff, upright stems topped by umbels, 10-15cm across, of hanging flowers.
Drooping Agapanthus blooms in late summer and early autumn. The flowers are in shades of blue, often purplish and sometimes very dark in colour, and are tubular with the segments barely open at the mouth.
AGAPANTHUS INAPERTUS PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Agapanthus inapertus can be grow as a houseplant in bright light. The plant requires good lighting in the summer, with a lack of light, the flower stalks are extended, and they need support. They grows best at a window with a south, southeast, or southwest orientation. This plant blooms best when grown in full sun.
Temperature:
In summer, the optimal temperature is at around 25℃. In winter a low temperature of 10-12 ℃ is desirable. Drooping Agapanthus is frost hardy, and should be able to survive in permanent outdoor cultivation in areas with a winter minimum of -7°C, although in regions that dip to -5° C and below for long periods the plants should be mulched thickly with a protective layer of leaves/straw/hessian.
Substrate and growing media:
Plant Drakensberg Agapanthus just deep enough to cover the roots, spacing them about 8” apart. A single plant will fill a 12” pot, or use more in larger pots. Use well-drained potting mix, as they do not tolerate waterlogged soil. For good growth and abundant flowering, this plant requires a nutrient mixture of clay-sod, humus, leaf soil and sand (2: 2: 1: 1).
Young and medium-sized specimens are transplanted every spring, adult plants every 3-4 years. The plant does not like frequent transplants, blooms best in a close pot. When transplanting, be careful, as the rhizomes of Agapanthus are carelessly broken when carelessly applied and the plant may not tolerate the transplant.
Watering:
Keep the plant well watered when growing, but allow it to dry out in winter. Making sure that the substrate does not dry out completely. If watering is excessive, water may stagnate, which leads to acidification of the soil.
Fertilizer:
During the growing season, the plant can be fertilize every 10 days (April to October). In the winter, during the rest period the plant is not fed.
Rest period:
Keep Agapanthus inapertus outdoors as long as possible in the fall because they need a cold period in order to flower well the next season. However, do not subject your plants to heavy frost (28ºF). In winter the plant should be place indoors in a cool location with bright light such as in a mudroom, by a window in a garage that does not freeze, or in a room that is kept cool (45ºF - 55º F). Keep your plant on the dry side, watering perhaps once a month. If plants are kept too warm during the winter they will force into bloom before summer.
During the winter, reduce watering and do not fertilize during this time. In the spring, after danger of frost has passed, place your plant outdoors, gradually moving them from part sun to full sun, and begin watering and fertilizing regularly.
Propagation:
Agapanthus inapertus can be propagated from seed or division. Seed should be sown in spring; germination usually takes 1-4 months. It will take 3-5 years to flower from seed. Root bound potted plants can be divided every 4-5 years. Division is best done after flowering, but it can be done any time. Use a very sharp knife to cut the clump into sections, each with roots attached, and pot the sections up. Divisions may not flower until the following year.
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