Agapanthus Poppin’ Star

Agapanthus Poppin' Star with blue flowers striped with violet is part of a new line of hybrid Agapanthus that is quite exceptional, combining floribundity, original flower colour, robustness, and rapid growth. Its inflorescences, of beautiful size, bloom in large numbers for several weeks, from late spring to late summer, including on young plants, at the end of short stems insensitive to the wind. Not very tall, but generous, this variety easily finds its place in all gardens, or in a pot on the terrace. Despite its exotic charm as an Austral plant, it is a carefree agapanthus that will thrive in full sun, in ordinary but well-drained soil, remaining slightly moist in summer.

Agapanthus are plants in the lily family originating from 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 Poppin' Star ('AMDB002') was recently obtained in South Africa. In addition to its ornamental qualities, it has distinguished itself by its rapid growth, remontant flowering, and resistance to bacterial rot of the neck, which sometimes affects Agapanthus in wet soil. This plant develops and multiplies rapidly from a stump with fleshy rhizomes, forming from spring onwards a dense clump of linear foliage, dark green and glossy, with a minimum diameter of 40-50cm (16-20in), widening over time. Flowering often begins in May (depending on the climate) and continues until August-September if the soil remains moist. Many strong floral stems, 50-60cm (20-24in) tall, emerge from a dense foliage clump. They bear at their ends hemispherical umbels, 10-12cm (4-5in) in diameter, composed of numerous small campanulate flowers in the shape of flared trumpets. Each flower is composed of 6 petals fused into a tube at the base, light blue in colour, crossed by a fine line of darker violet. The foliage of this variety disappears in winter, it is deciduous. Its colour is a fairly dark, shiny green.

Agapanthus Poppin' Star will quickly become the new star of the garden, with its brilliantly coloured inflorescences that succeed each other for weeks. In addition to its generous flowering, it has adequate hardiness, up to about -7/-10 °C. This variety will bring an elegant and exotic touch to any decor. It will easily adapt to many regions that are not too cold, especially if its stump is protected by a thick mulch in winter. Whether in flowerbeds, borders, large rockeries, pots, or containers, Agapanthus is suitable for a wide range of uses. It is particularly suitable for mild coastal climates. Poppin' Star is very beautiful when combined with other compact blue, violet, mauve, or white varieties in a minimalist decor. It is also very decorative in flowerbeds with an exotic connotation, with Tulbaghia, Kniphofias, Hemerocallis, grasses, and Cannas.