African lily
Agapanthus africanus · Popular
Round heads of blue or white trumpet flowers on tall bare stems above clumps of strap-shaped leaves in summer. Hardy only in mild-winter regions.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 8 to 10
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late June to early August
- Pets
- Toxic to people
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around African lily
The planner designed this bed around African lily when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 8, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 872 that suit those conditions, and says below why African lily stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 African lily × 4, blue
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 4, tan
- 3 October daphne × 3, pink
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Tickseed 'Sunray' × 3, yellow
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Pineapple lily × 3, white
Why this plant
- A classic partner for pineapple lily. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only blue.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to tickseed 'Sunray' (20 in) and brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 4 plants in 2 groups (3 and 1). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late June to early August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With moor grass 'Greenlee', brown-eyed Susan, tickseed 'Sunray' and others in late July: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 3 of the 5 groups (60%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (blue, pink and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and tan and white to calm things between them. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 47% of the visual weight and the right half 53%.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where African lily goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The round flower heads on bare stems float above lower plants, and the strappy leaves are a good contrast to rounded shrubs. It flowers best when crowded, so leave the clumps undivided.
- Blue globes for hot, sunny beds in mild climates
- Containers
- Edging a path or drive
What to plant with African lily
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daylily: blue against orange, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for seven weeks.
- Autumn sage: in flower together for seven weeks, from late June.
- Society garlic: in flower together for seven weeks, from late June; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about African lily
Does African lily need sun or shade?
African lily grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does African lily grow in?
USDA zones 8 to 10. It is hardy to zone 8, which means it survives winter nights down to about 20 °F (−7 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does African lily flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 8 | Late June to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Mid June to late July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should African lily be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many African lily plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used four in two groups.
Is African lily poisonous?
Yes: mild toxicity to people. May cause mild stomach upset if eaten. The sap can irritate skin and eyes.
Is there a native plant like African lily?
African lily is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Bee balm 'Purple Rooster': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in narrower, purple, not blue.
- Purple coneflower: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, flowers late June to early September.
- Anise hyssop: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, flowers early July to early September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after African lily?
African lily is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Hosta 'Guacamole': from early August to late August, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does African lily look like in winter?
African lily keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to early August; globes; blue, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 8 to 10
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.