Lily of the Nile
Agapanthus
A dependable clumping perennial with arching, strappy leaves and globes of blue, purple or white flowers in summer, lovely in borders, pots and vases, and seldom bothered by deer. Where frost is common, grow the evergreen kinds in pots and bring them in for winter, and keep the roots out of soggy soil.
- Mature size
- 2 × 3 ft
- 0.6 × 0.9 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 8a–11b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Medium
- Blooms
- Jun–Aug
Lily of the Nile at its mature size
A mature Lily of the Nile grows to about 2 ft tall and 3 ft wide.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension, San Marcos Growers.
Through the year
What Lily of the Nile looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
In leaf · Sep–May
Glossy dark green strap leaves, no flower stalks.
In flower · Jun–Aug
Tall bare stalks of round blue flower heads above the leaves.
Growing Lily of the Nile
- Grows well in
- California and the Southeast.
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Good for
- Foundation planting and deer resistant
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Native to
- South Africa
Spacing
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Lily of the Nile, that’s about 3 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Lily of the Nile in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.