I am in your area and have tried this plant several times, the last being ones that were supposed to come back here. Alas, I haven't seen them since the first season. I am in the north side of Guilford Co, so a cold zone 7A, even with the newer descriptions.

I have a friend in Pleasant Garden who can grow them, but that is 20 mi. to the south of me.

Thanks so much for responding. I am in 7A too and it sounds like Agapanthus is not something I can grow a nice row of in my garden in High Point - too cold in winter for them to flower in summer (although likely not this past warm winter).

I have seen some folks keep them in pots and then bring them indoors during winter. Not really what I am wishing to do. I am going to plant one to see how it does - perhaps global warming will make these a local favorite in a few years.

I am in the Charlotte area (Gastonia) and have had Agapanthus is the garden for several years now. It is out in the open, not against the house and has come back every year. In late fall I take some Christmas tree branches that we cut off the bottom of our tree or get free at a tree lot and cover them up. I stick the ends of the branches in the ground at an angle so the wind won't blow them off.

Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh lists a number of _Agapanthus_ varieties with detailed descriptions. A look at the Plant Delights Website will help you determine which Lily of the Nile cultivar to experiment with.

Hi all, I am visiting the NC forum but I thought that I would share my experience with agapanthus in UT where the winters are much colder than in NC. I have mine planted next to the foundation of the house on the south side and during the winter I simple place a pot upside down over it and uncover after the last frost and always get blooms. You could try mulching it really well before placing the pot over it.

I have had agapanthus in my garden for perhaps 10 years and it comes back each spring. I just mulch with pine needles. Mine is on a slope so I guess it has good dry conditions. Oh forgot to say I am in Winston Salem area.

Hi,
I have just discovered this site so I am late in responding to this. I live about 8 miles south & east of Raleigh. I have grown agapanthus for about 15 years nor. I discovered the first one in Southern California and had to have some. Could not find any local then so as I traveled through areas that sold them I bought some.
I have white and light blue and a few dark purples. Now I am experimenting with several variries that I found at Plant Delights, I even got what is called a "Black".
I found the secret is protection, before a freeze I cover them with pine straw then I add shredded untreated pine bark over the straw. One year we had almost 3 days where temp did not get above freezinf and all came back. In spring as temp warms up I begin by removing bark and leaving the straw. This will allow some light to penetrate and start growing. As temp warms remove straw, you will usually find some green leaves from past year.
This would work well in the Triad also I feel certain. Let me know if I can answer any question for you.

I'm also north of Greensboro, in Summerfield. I put in three agapanthus in 2013. I also had one in a pot standing next to them in the garden and when the weeds grew up around them I forgot it was in a pot. So it sat outside through last years brutal winter. The three in the ground came back, but amazingly the one in the pot seemed to have some life in it when I discovered it in the spring, so I put it I the ground, too. It made a little tiny 4 inch tall agapanthus plant for me this past summer. I've mark it's spot and expect it to come back again.

Kathy