Hello! I have a couple agapanthus that are turning yellow and drooping. They get sun until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. They're fertilized probably once a month with liquid MiracleGro, and I've tried treating them with iron twice. Any ideas? Thanks!

Do you mind telling us where you are located, what your soil is like, rainfall amounts, other additional info about your growing conditions? Both too much and too little water can cause Agapanthus to turn yellow.

Sorry, I should have included all that info! I'm in Southern California about 20 miles from the coast, clay soil, little rainfall (especially right now!). I water twice a week. Thanks, SongofJoy.

That's okay. I sometimes forget to add information myself.

California is where I grew most of the Agapanthus I've had. They need a lot of water during bloom time. Established plants will most likely handle some drought, but I know it has been unusually dry out west. Close to the coast, they can take a lot of sun.

Great. Thanks for the info!

I hope yours recover well and bloom nicely for you.

jeh,

Are these newer plants or older, well-established ones? The first couple of years they need a little bit of tlc to make it through our summers but, afterwards, they are pretty tough plants (I downright neglect mine). I had these out of the ground for 3 weeks or so last month (some still have not been replanted) and they still decided to bloom:



Oddly enough, the ones that are still on the concrete look about the same as the photo (we do sprinkle them lightly everyday) but the ones that are back in the soil are experiencing some shock.

Edited to add: I forgot to say that I am in So Cal, also, near the LA county/Ventura county lines.

Another quick thought. If you planted them recently, how deep did you plant them? Also, do you mulch, is it bare soil, or is there a ground cover?

These plants are about 6 or 7 years old. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm not overdoing the TLC a bit. Might be time to just start leaving them alone a little more!

Just got your 2nd message. Like I said, they're very well established, but I do want to plant more. I usually plant things so that the top is not covered with soil, so about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above ground. I should mulch, I know, but I admit it's usually just bare ground that I till up now and then.

I wonder, also, if they are getting too much tlc I actually do not mulch my agapanthus (they are in bare soil, too) nor have I ever fertilized them. I shouldn't admit it but they are by far the most neglected plants in my yard and they are thriving - almost too much so as they need constant dividing. My agapanthus get watered 2 or 3 times a week typically but never heavily in any one sitting (they get the over-spray from the sprinklers only).

The ones that I mentioned above that are currently in shock are those that I moved into an area that has rich soil and is more heavily irrigated. I am keeping an eye on them and I may have to move them to the outskirts if they don't improve by autumn.

It is odd that this is the first year you have had an issue with your agapanthus, though. Has anything changed in your garden? Could you possibly have moles or gophers? Usually by year 6 or 7, these guys should be like cast iron.

By the way, to ATP!

Yeah, it's kind of a mystery. But I'm going to leave them alone for awhile and see what happens. Thanks for all your posts and the great welcome!

Please keep us updated. I did have a final thought when I was going to sleep last night. Could they possibly need to be thinned out? Anyway, so glad that you have joined us . I am looking forward to your future posts

I live in Southern Ontario (Canada), and every spring I purchase Agapanthus bulbs. Is it possible to over-winter them inside? I'm reasonably sure that they would not survive our winter.