As the heat of summer kicks in, the agapanthus – affectionately called ‘aggies’ or ‘Aggie’s panties’ by some – are in flower and massed plantings stand out beautifully against our dark soil and trees.
Agapanthus are endemic to South Africa – in other words, this is the only place in the world where they occur naturally. They are very popular around the world, though, and are cherished for their statuesque form, stunning colours and elegant foliage. They do well in containers and make excellent cut flowers.
Considering the beauty of these plants, it’s not too surprising that people from very diverse backgrounds have associated them with love: the name Agapanthus is derived from the Greek agape (love) and anthos (flower) and it is also known by South African traditional healers as a love charm to encourage healthy babies.
Aggies have many medicinal uses. The leaves can bring a lot of relief to sore, tired feet – just wrap leaves around your feet or, as Margaret Roberts suggests, put some leaves into your boots. The leaves also make an excellent bandage to hold a dressing or poultice in place and can be wrapped around the wrists to help bring down a fever. Traditional healers use aggies (known as isicakathi in isiXhosa and ubani in isiZulu) to make antenatal medicine and to treat heart disease, paralysis, coughs, colds, chest pains and tightness.
Not only can aggies help soothe the human body, but they have another superpower: they can remove petroleum from topsoil and water. This is yet another reason to plant these amazing plants along driveways, roads and parking lots. They can be propagated from seed or root cuttings. Clumps can be lifted and divided just after the end of their flowering period in early March every four to six years.
The Green Net’s Biodiversity Calendar features a stunning indigenous plant each month, as well as information on common alien invasive plants/weeds to remove. Pre-ordered 2024 calendars are being distributed before Christmas. If you’ve missed this round, please order now to receive your calendars in January. Please email thegreennet.store@gmail.com, or WhatsApp 0832667953 to order yours.
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