Day: January 4, 2023

This is number eleven in my series of following flowers from buds to wilt and beyond. I discovered that I had a different blue Agapanthus flower from all of the others I have in my garden. I also have white Agapanthus flowers and that may be the next life of….

“Agapanthus (Agapanthus  spp.) also known as the African Lily or the Lily of the Nile is a fleshy rooted perennial. It is part of the Liliaceae family and is native to Southern Africa.”
* https://www.gardenexpress.com.au/growing-guide/agapanthus-growing-guide/

I took this photo this afternoon, it was a bit hot. They are quite different aren’t they.

Let’s start with the buds. I have a number of bud photos. I should have really thought about presentation but oh well.

All the future flowers tightly wrapped waiting to burst forth.

A trio of the dark blue flower buds

Still snug in their safety wrap

Starting to push forward and into the sunlight

Finally casting the casing aside preparing for all the florets to open – photo in the shade

Finally casting the casing aside preparing for all the florets to open – photo in the afternoon sunshine

The paler blue flowers are falling out of the bud casing

Reaching to the sky to open into the sunlight

While other buds struggle to open and flower fully

What I like about Agapanthus is how their flower buds mature at different times so there always seems that there are Agapanthus flowers in the garden. Look how many are almost ready to open and how many are still uncoloured buds.

Almost fully open. The casing is still attached to a couple of florets.

Finally free to start to become the flowers that they are meant to be

The outside florets open first while the inner buds bathe in sunlight

Gradually the whole umbrel or flower head starts to become full of open florets becoming the flower everyone knows.

Soon the umbrel will be full of open florets

The ones I have (in this series) are so different to the ones I usually know. The petals are getting paler, I think, while the stripes are becoming stronger

I have a number of clumps of Agapanthus throughout the garden. Some are smaller than others. They never seem to flower all at once as I see around town. In one clump this year, probably the best flowering year I have seen in ages, not all of the plants flowered.

Getting in close

There are lots of insects who enjoy the shelter and food the Agapanthus can supply.

These next two photos come from my archives.

An Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly getting right into the flowers

A Blue-faced Honeyeater intently getting to the bottom of the flower

Like everything on this world, the demise is always on the horizon. The mingling of buds, open flowers and withered flowers

I love the various colours as the flowers slowly deteriorate

Some of the flowers just fall to the ground while others drop only their petals.

Some flower heads don’t have many seed pods developing

While others are laden with pods

The next stage is a brown dried spindly ball. I thought I may have had an old photo but can’t find it. So this is where you use your imagination

This is my warm up guitar playing song. The Stones with one of their county best

Also for Cee’s FOTD