Flower Encyclopedia: African Boxwood It is a plant of the lily family. The scientific name of African Lily is Agapanthus and is commonly known as the Lily of the Nile. The African Lily is a native of the Cape of Good Hope.
The plant has a short stem bearing a tuft of long, narrow, arching leaves 10-35 cm long and 1-2 cm broad, and a central flower stalk 25-60 cm tall, ending in an umbel of 20-30 bright blue, funnel-shaped flowers, each flower 2.5-5 cm in diameter.
The plant produces glorious clusters of lily-like blooms that last throughout the summer. These clusters are made up of lots of bell-shaped flowers. They can be globe-shaped or pendulum shaped and can be held aloft on vertical stems that can reach 1.2m tall. They mainly come in shades of blue, from a dusky, powder blue to an almost indigo-purple. They are at their best in mid- to late summer, even stretching into the autumn. The leaves are simple strap-shaped and provide a wonderful contrast with more ordinary shaped foliage even before the flowers open.
All African lilies are perennial, growing from an underground rhizome each year. All make excellent, long-lived cut flowers. The seed heads can be cut and dried for indoor decoration.
The plant handling may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction. The bloom time is late spring/early summer, mid summer and late summer/early fall. The foliage is evergreen and smooth textured. Flowers are fragrant plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. The plant has average water needs but you must not over water the plant.
Did you know?
- African Lily was introduced to Europe at the close of the 17th century as a handsome greenhouse plant
- African Lily can be propagated from offsets or by dividing the rootstock in early spring or autumn.
- African lilies in containers should be potted up using loam-based compost, such as John Innes No.2, and planted with their crowns approximately 5cm below the surface of the composition.
