How to Grow and Care for Agapanthus

Every kid in my tiny elementary school thought I was a strange girl because I kept a jar of sand on my desk.

But it wasn’t just any sand. It was sand my dad had brought back from a trip to Honduras for me, to sate my obsession with turquoise-watered and white-sanded beaches.

I wanted nothing more than to take a dip in the clear, warm waters of the Caribbean.

When I was thirteen years old, my wish came true.

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I got to travel to Jamaica to see some of the places where my dad and grandparents had lived after leaving Cuba, their home country.

And I was also introduced to a thrilling array of plants and fruits I’d never seen before: slimy-sweet guineps, purple-white star apples, stately birds of paradise, and violet clumps of agapanthus.

The orchards and gardens of the island were unforgettable. Sadly for me, most of the gorgeous vegetation that flourishes in warm places like Jamaica fails to grow here in Alaska.

But many of these plants thrive in places where my family lives, like southern California and Arizona.

And if you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 6-11, this guide can help you try your hand at growing graceful, cheery agapanthus flowers.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

The name Agapanthus comes from the combination of the Greek words agape (love) and anthos (flower).

So they’re pretty much a love flower. Flower of love. Lovely flower.

You get the idea.

With their lance-like leaves and tall, three-foot stems, spring- and summer-blooming agapanthus reminds me of allium flowers – which makes sense, since they’re in the same botanical family.

They also remind me