When to sow agapanthus in Marrakesh

Why these dates

Plant in spring once frost has passed, shallowly, with the crown at soil level. Resist repotting: a plant moved into a larger container puts everything into leaf and skips flowering for a season or two. Expect the first real display in year two.

The deciduous types are hardy to about -8C and the evergreen ones several degrees less. Below zone 8 grow it in a pot and move it somewhere cool and frost-free for winter, keeping it nearly dry.

Agapanthus are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Marrakesh has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Marrakesh is zone 10a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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