Agapanthus Baby Pete

Agapanthus 'Baby Pete' (Agapanthus praecox 'Baby Pete') is the dwarf that solved the agapanthus problem. It holds at about 40cm tall and 40cm wide instead of sprawling to a metre, flowers deep blue through summer, and sets very little seed, so it stays where you put it. For a low edge along a driveway or path, there is not much that does the same job with so little work.

Why you'll love it

• Half the size of a common agapanthus. A neat 40cm mound of evergreen strap leaves that never swamps a narrow bed.
• Low seeding. This selection produces few viable seeds, which keeps it out of neighbouring gardens and reduces the self sown seedlings older agapanthus are known for.
• Blue flowers right through summer. Rounded heads on short stems, held just clear of the foliage, working for weeks rather than days.
• Built for hard spots. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and salt tolerant, so driveway edges, hot kerbsides and coastal front gardens all suit it.

Where it works best

Borders, edging and driveways. Plant 30cm apart for a solid unbroken edge. At that spacing the clumps close within a season and the line stays crisp without trimming.

Mass planting. Sweeps at 30cm centres cover ground and suppress weeds on flat beds or gentle slopes, and the even height reads well from a distance.

Pots and coastal gardens. A 300mm pot holds one clump for years, and salt tolerance makes it useful on exposed beachside blocks where softer plants burn.

Growing Agapanthus Baby Pete in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it accepts a few hours of shade. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It takes light frost only, so in hard frosting inland and southern districts expect the foliage to burn back and mulch the crown over winter.

Soil. Almost any soil that drains. Sandy coastal ground and improved clay both work. It resents sitting wet through winter, so raise the bed on heavy soil.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. A complete fertiliser in early spring, before the flower stems appear, gives the best display. Too much nitrogen produces leaf and few flowers.

Maintenance. Cut spent flower stems at the base once the heads brown. Pull off yellowing outer leaves by hand through the year, and lift and divide congested clumps every four or five years in early spring.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 140mm pots, sold in packs of ten. At 30cm centres that pack edges about three metres of path or driveway, which is the way most people buy it. Each plant arrives as an established clump of several leaves rather than a single fan.

Agapanthus travel very well. The leaves are fleshy and tough and the root system is dense, so they arrive in good order and settle quickly. Plants often flower in their first summer, and always by the second. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full agapanthus range.
• Read low growing plant ideas for borders.
• Browse more plants for mass planting.
• See what else copes with salt air in plants for coastal areas.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Agapanthus is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, and the sap irritates skin for people too. Wear gloves when dividing, and pick a different edging plant if your animals chew foliage.

Will it seed into the garden or the bush?

Far less than a common agapanthus. This is a low seeding selection, which is why it is used in landscaping, though we would still not plant any agapanthus directly against bushland.

How far apart should I plant it?

Thirty centimetres apart for a continuous border. That closes the line in one season. Space them 40cm if you prefer to see each clump as a separate mound.

Western Australia: this plant is listed as an environmental weed in WA, where it escapes from gardens into bushland. We do not recommend it for WA gardens. Please choose a local alternative.