Did you know that agapanthus comes from South Africa? Neither did my South African partner, who sacrificed two broken spades and a great deal of grunt and sweat the weekend before last to remove a large agapanthus from our back garden. First we cut off the leaves to reveal a group of thick soft stems that were as easy to cut through as cake. And the massive white corm underneath resembling soft polystyrene fair crumbled in our hands. But the roots – well, they were another matter. Later I read online that agapanthus roots can break concrete. No surprises there, I can hear Barnard say, as he rests his weary back and shoulders. When my parents decided to remove a row of six agapanthus from their Ōtaki garden, they hired a local contractor with a digger. I now understand why.
If you think you don’t know what agapanthus are, you’re dreaming, because they’re everywhere. Agapanthus are those big bushy plants with strap-shaped leaves and blue or white flowers that line many of New Zealand’s fences, driveways and roadside banks. You can also spot them outside supermarkets, service stations and takeaway joints, and even on traffic islands; in other words, places where “no maintenance” rather than “low maintenance” is the order of the day. For agapanthus give a lot but ask very little. They are extremely hardy and able to withstand drought, wind, frost, spraying, insect pests and even immersion in the sea. Agapanthus can live for up to 75 years but do not like to be moved around. I can’t imagine why you would try, unless to act out some satisfying fantasy of re-planting an agapanthus and watching it die.
Perhaps that’s a little harsh. I do like the big confident buds of agapanthus that slowly break open to reveal umbrella-shaped clusters of dainty flowers that would not look out of place on an elegant wedding cake or in a watercolour painting. I'm just not sure I could bring myself to plant an agapanthus, unless it was one of the newer dwarf varieties. But if the shelves of a local plant shop are any indication, there are plenty of enthusiastic gardeners looking for an agapanthus vibe. At Masterton’s Garden Barn I found no less than 11 varieties for sale, including Gold Strike (stunning green and gold foliage!), Sarah (soft-pink to lavender-pink picotee flower!) Agapetite (stunning, double white flowers in summer!) and Orientalis Blue (rounded heads of bright medium blue trumpet-shaped flowers!).
This last one is especially interesting in the context of a gradual hardening of official attitudes against agapanthus, due to its invasiveness and ability to outgrow and eventually exclude all other plants in an area. In Auckland, agapanthus praecox (of which Orientalis is a sub-species) is listed in the council’s regional pest management plan, and cannot be bred, distributed, released, sold or (unsurprisingly) planted. Likewise, the Greater Wellington Regional Council advises residents not to plant agapanthus but has declined to go the extra step of listing the plant as a pest, saying that the cost of eradicating the city’s agapanthus would simply be too great.
“Aren’t agapanthus poisonous?” Barnard asked (somewhat belatedly) while recovering with a cold beer. Yes, but only the roots; eating them can cause nausea, vomiting and other tummy unpleasantness. And those of us who have trimmed their long, leathery leaves also know the sticky sap inside agapanthus will not only make a complete mess of your gardening clothes, but can leave an itchy red rash in its wake.
Perhaps our collective attitude to agapanthus can be summed up in one simple phrase: “Agapanthus: Can’t live with it; can’t kill it.”
Comments