when seed pods dry the black seeds can be collected then. As for cutting them down I don't do anything to them until the spring, then I gently pull the dead leaves off. As they are in quite small pots I would keep them barely damp/almost dry and frost free over winter.

You say you are putting them into a barrel, well I'd do that in the spring when they are just starting into new growth.

Great thank you :)

A lot depends on the variety of agapanthus as to it's hardiness. Some years ago I was given a pot full of them, I had to break the pot to release them. (they love being congested). I planted them in a sunny border and 10 years on, having lifted and divided many times they have completely filled the border and self seeded all over the place. I do very little to them other than deadhead and remove leaves when brown.The self seeders are paler than the originals and they are not the largest blooms but the overall display is breathtaking.

See, there's that thing again 'they love being congested'. In my experience, it's nonsense, and in fact, Mistletoe, in yours too - yours have grown and spread and flowered entirely unfettered in your border, so although some garden books say they like to be congested, I think, in common parlance, its cobblers. I understand the idea of their liking being congested was because, when the plant collectors first found them, they happened to be growing out of a rocky hillside in a small soil pocket in between rocks.

Sorry Kate40, just felt the need to debunk the myth... Seaburn's advice for your query is good.

Not at all Bamboo dont be sorry all information is good information..Isn't that just gardening for you its all so different for everyone what grows and what doesn't.Thanks everyone for the advice :)

I thought when a plant was constricted in a pot it was more likely to flower as it felt it was in danger of dying and felt the need to produce flowers to produce seed to ensure the plant would survive. I believe there is a narrow leaved Agapanthus and a broader leaved Agapanthus. Not sure but one is supposed to be hardier than the other. Maybe someone can say which is which. I have tried growing them many times over the years and never had a flower and rarely more than one season from the plants. This year for the first time I have a white one in flower. I'm delighted and hope it will come again next year. I grew it in a pot and would like to plant it in the garden. It is a narrow leaved plant. Sorry for asking a supplementary question on your question Kate40 but it is helpful to have all the info in one place.

There are some Agapanthus varieties which are not hardy, Scotsgran, so its critical to know the name of the variety you have to check its hardiness, but it's the A. africanus one (evergreen) that really isn't hardy. As a general rule, you can say if its not evergreen, its probably hardy, but its best to know which variety you've got to make sure.

When I first started growing this plant (a hardy variety) I kept it in a pot - after 3 years, I got one flower. That year, we visited some distant relatives out in the country and I noticed they had 3 huge clumps of Agapanthus in the borders, all flowering away merrily, unconstricted at the roots. When I got home, I stuck mine in the border, and the following year it was twice the size and had 8 flowers. So much for keeping it constricted...

Thank you Bamboo. Unfortunately I do not know which variety I have. I think it was evergreen. It was out all winter but the winter was exceptionally mild in our area. A friend who lived close by grew agapanthus as you describe them in the open garden. Hers were always plentiful so she was happy to give away spares. Those are the ones I have killed off. Just found a label. They are Agapanthus campanulatus album. They do come from South Africa but from higher areas and therefore hopefully hardier. They are known as white Nile Lilies.

Agapanthus campanulatus is hardy down to -10 - likely to disappear below ground in winter though.

Thank you again. I will give it a deep mulch in the hope that it survives. I plan to plant it amongst the kniphofia so they too will give some level of shelter. Next year will tell. When it says hardy to -10, I am never sure if that means the temperature of the soil or of the air. It sounds silly not to know but if you can tell me that will be helpful.

-10 according to any outdoor thermometer or according to the weather people. This temperature will actually not be ground temperature, the Met Office measures temps about a foot up from the ground I think, but you needn't worry about that - -10 is -10 for your purposes.

Thank you Bamboo. I felt like a dimwit asking the question but had to ask for my own benefit.

Ha ha, I know what you mean - sometimes I've asked a dumb question without even knowing how dumb it was till given the answer, but really, that's the only way you learn, it takes courage to acquire knowledge sometimes. Surely there can't be a person on the planet who hasn't felt like a complete twit at some point in their lives in this way - in my case, on many occasions over the years;-)

Snap LOL.