Does that post title strike you as an exultation - or a warning? Whether or not you celebrate the bloom period of these perennials may depend on where you live. Here in Southern California,
Agapanthus are found just about everywhere. Shopping centers, road medians, new housing developments.
Agapanthus in Southern California are looked on as I imagine Rhododendrons are in the Pacific Northwest or Crape myrtles in some areas the South. Sure, they're nice but they're so common it's hard for many people to get excited about them.
I happen to like Agapanthus, even if they are as common as dirt here. That's a good thing as I inherited a large quantity of these plants with our current house. As the clumps tend to merge into one another, I can't even count them very accurately but I'd estimate that I have between 50 and 60 clumps - and all are just about to bloom.
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| They bloom in partial shade |
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| They bloom in full sun |
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| They fit into my backyard scheme |
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| And occupy a prominent place in my front border |
The buds seem to pop up overnight, appearing en masse, standing like soldiers. The plants require little in the way of maintenance, the foliage looks good even when the plant isn't in bloom, and the flowers make a statement - what's not to like? Some buds have already opened, although the petals have yet to fully unfurl.
I have a few of the white variety but most are shades of light to medium blue - regrettably, I have none in the dark blue color. In a few days, I expect to be seeing blue all over the place. In the meantime, other blues have made their appearance in my garden.
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| 2 pots of 'Bountiful Blue' blueberries now have ripe fruit, which means I will soon see more squirrels on my back porch |
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| Iris germanica 'Versailles' bloomed just after May's Bloom Day |
What's so common in your area that its beauty tends to be overlooked?
Ah, agapanthus. I wish, I wish they grew here! Just a little too cold for them here, I think. Otherwise, I would have loads of them. I love the blue pot with the blueberries, and that beautiful iris.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome to vicariously visit mine. You'll probably see them in the next few Bloom Day posts!
DeleteI too love the agapanthus, and while you see them fairly regularly around here they certainly aren't as common as in your part of the world. You called it with the Rhodys, and while I do see the beauty of the Japanese Maples they are EVERYWHERE!
ReplyDeleteWell, we certainly covet Japanese Maples here in SoCal too - you'd probably be astounded at the price some of us are willing to pay for them even though they, almost inevitably, end up with burned foliage by early summer.
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