The Agapanthus As A Hardy Plant.
Agapanthus Mooreanus, according to botanists, is but a form of
A. umbellatus, but from a garden point of view it is quite
distinct, having narrower leaves, more slender stems, and smaller flowers.
It is also much hardier; I know of its flourishing as a hardy plant in
gardens well north, and even in exposed situations. In my former and
present gardens it is quite hardy and increases with much freedom, without
any protection, in a somewhat dryish soil. A. umbellatus, the type,
is, however, more tender, and it is not everywhere in Scotland that it
will prove hardy. In the south-west it is fairly hardy, and I was much
interested the other day in seeing how well it has survived in a most
trying winter in the garden of Captain Hope, R.N., at St. Mary's Isle,
Kirkcudbright. At St. Mary's Isle the Agapanthuses are planted rather
deeply at first, so that the frost has little effect until the plants
become established. The Agapanthus should be more largely planted and
cultivated as a hardy plant in the milder districts of these islands.