Agapanthus 'Brilliant Blue' PP25,966 (Brilliant Blue Lily of the Nile) - A compact variety of Agapanthus that has semi-evergreen foliage in clumps to 20 inches wide and 12-18 inches tall with flower stalks reaching to 30 inches early to mid-summer bearing uniform heads of rich blue flowers that have a darker midstripe on each petal.
Plant in full sun to light shade in a decently well drained soil with regular to occasional irrigation. This variety will go partially deciduous but is hardy to at around 19 degrees F and even more if mulched. This plant was bred by Agapanthus hybridizer Vance Hooper of New Plymouth, New Zealand. It is a Agapanthus campanulatus var. patens F2 hybrid. Agapanthus campanulatus var. patens is a smaller deciduous agapanthus with deep blue flowers from the higher elevations (5,900 to 7,900 feet) in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa. It has long been used for hybridization with other species, bringing in smaller size, hardiness and a deep blue flower coloration. It was a primary parent of the well-known Headbourne Hybrids that were bred in England by Lewis Palmer in the late 1940s at Headbourne Worthy and introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. It was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1993. This is a new Agapanthus for us in 2014 but we like what we see and read about it - Irish nurseryman and horticulturalist Pat Fitzgerald says of it that "Agapanthus 'Brilliant Blue' is a dwarf and very floriferous African Lily with the deepest blue flower of any variety we tested so far. It is ideal for use in patio containers or in the milder climates in perennial or mixed borders." As with other Agapanthus this one should tolerate near coastal conditions, frost and neglect and useful in the garden and as a cut flower. This plant received US Plant Patent PP25,966 in September 2015.
The information about Agapanthus 'Brilliant Blue' PP25,966 displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |