Agapanthus hybridus Vallée de la Romanche

Agapanthus 'Vallée de la Romanche' is a compact and floriferous selection that offers a charming light blue flowering between June and August. Its flower umbels rise above a beautiful tuft of ribbon-like leaves that remain decorative in winter. Like all evergreen Agapanthus, this variety is not very hardy, but less demanding in water than deciduous varieties. Particularly suited to the Atlantic coast or the Mediterranean coast, this selection also adapts perfectly to pot cultivation, allowing it to be overwintered in colder regions. 

Agapanthus are plants of the lily family native to South Africa. Several species have been extensively hybridized by horticulturists in search of new colours, more compact and hardy plants, better adapted to our climates. The cultivar 'Vallée de la Romanche' was selected by P. Turc in Anjou, France. This variety is named after a torrent becoming a river in southeastern France, irrigating the Hautes-Alpes and Isère. This perennial plant develops and multiplies rapidly from a fleshy rhizome stump, forming over time a dense clump of linear foliage, of a fairly dark green, about 40cm (16in) in all directions. The flowering, prolonged, more or less early depending on the regions, extends over about two months. Numerous cylindrical floral stems about 60-70cm (24-28in) tall emerge from the foliage clump. They bear at their tip small hemispherical umbels composed of trumpet-shaped flowers. Each one is composed of 6 petals fused into a tube at the base, of a pale lavender blue, crossed by a darker line, contrasting with almost black stamens. The foliage of this variety remains in winter. 

Agapanthus 'Vallée de la Romanche' is planted in drifts, in large borders or in pots. It brings a touch of exoticism to the garden or terrace and fits well into a contemporary decor. This new variety will easily adapt in our mild regions, especially if its stump is protected by a thick mulch in winter. It is particularly suited to coastal climates. 'Vallée de la Romanche' is very beautiful, associated with other compact varieties in shades of blue, mauve or white, in a minimalist style. It is also very decorative in ensembles with an exotic connotation with Dianella, Kniphofias, Hemerocallis, grasses and Cannas.