Maxsie Agapanthus

Maxsie Agapanthus (Agapanthus 'Maxsie') is a compact blue agapanthus for the front of a bed, reaching about 80cm in flower over a strappy clump 60cm across. The foliage does the hard work: it holds a driveway edge together, takes salt wind and keeps going through a dry summer with almost no attention.

Why you'll love it

• Compact enough for the front row. At roughly 80cm in flower and 60cm wide it edges a path or driveway without leaning across it.
• Tough in four directions at once. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and heat tolerant, a rare combination in a flowering perennial.
• Very little maintenance. Cut the spent stems, tidy the old outer leaves once a year, and that is the whole job.
• Bees and butterflies find it. The blue flower heads are a reliable nectar source right through the warm months.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 50cm apart for a solid mass planting. The clumps meet within two seasons and the strappy foliage suppresses most weeds once it closes over.

Borders, edging and driveways. A single row at 50cm spacing along a driveway or avenue holds the edge, copes with heat reflected off the paving and needs no irrigation once away.

Coastal gardens and pots. Salt tolerant enough for exposed front gardens near the beach, and it flowers well slightly root bound, so a 400mm container suits it long term.

Growing Maxsie Agapanthus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the most flowers. It grows in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy, so cold southern and tableland districts are within range. In the wet tropics the clumps tend to run to leaf instead of flower.

Soil. Almost anything that drains, and sandy coastal soil suits it particularly well. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound so the crowns are not sitting wet through winter, which is the usual way to lose an agapanthus.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry weather. A handful of complete slow release fertiliser in early spring lifts the flowering. Go light on nitrogen, which pushes leaf at the cost of flower heads.

Pruning. Cut spent flower stems off at the base as they finish, which also stops seed setting. Trim tired outer leaves in late winter, and lift and divide congested clumps every four or five years.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is sold in one size: 140mm pots in packs of ten. Each plant is an established young clump with several leaves, big enough to go straight into a prepared bed. A single pack covers roughly 2.5 square metres at 50cm spacing, or about 5m of single row edging.

Strappy leaved plants travel well, and foliage bent in transit can be trimmed back without harm, since new leaves come from the centre of the clump. Expect about a month of settling, solid clumps by the end of the first year and full flowering in the second summer. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full agapanthus range
• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Plants that handle coastal exposure
• Plants suited to mass planting

Common questions

Is agapanthus safe around pets?

No. Agapanthus sap and roots are toxic to cats and dogs, and the sap can irritate skin on handling. Wear gloves when you divide clumps, and choose something else if you have a dog that digs and chews.

Will it flower in its first year?

Sometimes, though it is not worth counting on. A 140mm plant usually spends its first season building roots and leaf, then flowers properly in its second summer once the clump has bulked up.

Does it self seed?

Agapanthus can self seed in cooler southern gardens, which is a nuisance near bushland. Cutting the spent stems off before the seed heads dry solves it, and it tidies the planting anyway.