Agapanthus Big Blue

Round heads of deep violet-blue trumpets on strong stems above strap-shaped evergreen leaves, at 1 to 1.5m. Each globe is made of dozens of individual florets, and each floret carries a darker sapphire stripe down the middle, which is what stops a big head of blue reading as a flat blob.

This is a three-year job from seed. Sow it this spring and you can reasonably expect your first flowers in the third summer, sometimes the fourth. Anyone wanting blooms this year should buy a plant. Being a seed strain rather than a division, there is also some variation in exactly how deep the blue comes out. What you get in return is a lot of plants for the price of one, and agapanthus that have grown up in your own conditions.

It flowers better when its roots are crowded, so a pot suits it well and there is no hurry to move it on. It needs full sun and sharp drainage, and it dislikes a wet winter far more than a cold one. Sheltered gardens near the coast rarely need protection; cold inland gardens want a mulch over the crown.