Little Eden
African Lily Care Guide
African Lily Care Guide
Whether you're just starting out or an experienced gardener, our essential care guide will help you grow your beautiful African Lily in your garden.
African lilies have strap-like leaves and showy flowers in shades of blue, violet or white. They're ideal for growing in containers where their pretty blooms stand tall or grow en masse in a border. It's a hardy, vigorous plant that bears grey-green foliage and from mid to late summer, numerous sky-blue, bell-shaped flowers appear.
QUICK FACTS
Perennial, Evergreen
Suitable for small gardens
Attractive to wildlife
Flowers
Avoid if you have children
Avoid if you have pets
Botanical name
Botanical name
Agapanthus campanulatus
Where to plant
STEP 1
Prepare your new African Lily
Unpack your gift as soon as you can, it might be thirsty for some water (if the soils dry) and will be missing the light!
STEP 2
Give it space and room to grow
When considering a spot for your plant, choose somewhere that is at least an inch wider than the pot all the way round.
In a few years, your African Lily can grow up to 100cm height and 45cm spread.
STEP 3
Give it some sun
Your African Lily loves to be south or west facing and with as much sun as possible.
Plants that like the sun will enjoy sunny areas that warm up during the day. Southern facing gardens receive the most sun, and will suit plants that won’t frazzle in the heat. You can work out which way your garden faces with a compass (there’s one on your phone) which will point towards North.
Step 4
Check your soil
Soil type differs from garden to garden. Your African Lily will be happiest if your soil is like any of these:
Clay / heavy / moist / well drained / light / sandy
The texture and consistence of your soil is important also as it will determine the level of nutrition and drainage. If you think your soil might be the wrong type for your African Lily, you could plant it in a pot or container instead!
Step 5
Position in border
Picking the right spot to plant in a border affects how well African Lily will grow and how the border will look overall.
Your African Lily will be best growing in the middle of the border, as it's tough enough to be surrounded on all sides by other plants that are competing for space. At the same time, they can look pretty in-between taller and shorter plants.