Page 23 - Landscape-Issue126

FEATURE

The striking deep purple colouring of Agapanthus ‘BlackJack’

happy, as we never quite know what we will Marketing process
get out of the progeny,” he explains. De Wet Breeders show their plants to nurseries worldwide and if they want to grow it, the material is
sent to them for laboratory propagation. Once they have the stock required, they name and market
Beautiful ‘BlackJack’ the plants, and currently ‘BlackJack’ is being grown by many larger wholesale nurseries worldwide,
There are a few Agapanthus plants in where the climate is suitable. De Wet states: “We create the product and our agent in Europe,
the wild (endemic to Mpumalanga) with Plantipp, presents it widely to nurseries and growers. We are paid royalties after sales take place.”
dark flowers, but they have not been Another exciting new Agapanthus will be ready ready for release in October 2023 during an
commercialised. De Wet says the dark Agapanthus festival. Plants are available from CND Nursery in Johannesburg and from The Aloe
purple of ‘BlackJack’ makes it the perfect Farm in Hartbeespoort, NW Province, two hidden gems of South Africa’s horticultural industry.
commercial plant as it has all the good De Wet concludes: “We are really thrilled about ‘BlackJack’. It is essential to plan well for the
characteristics of a standard Agapanthus timing of horticultural shows and we are the only South African breeder to have won a prize at
but is also a vigorous grower, well-suited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the UK. n
to mass planting in the landscape or in
containers. It has neat foliage and it is very Text by Karyn Richards. Photos courtesy of Andy de Wet.
floriferous. “The fuller flower heads are
spectacular, with the black buds eventually
becoming a deep velvety purple colour,”
he says. A healthy, mature A. ‘BlackJack’
makes multiple flower stems for up to three
months in summer and it is also stable and
disease-resistant.
De Wet and Bean spent 17 years crossing,
combining and re-combining thousands of
carefully selected Agapanthus varieties to
produce ‘BlackJack’, which looks best when
planted in large mass groupings. When
placed together with white Agapanthus,
the contrast is striking.

A healthy, mature
A. ‘BlackJack’ makes multiple

flower stems for up to
three months in summer
and it is also stable and

disease-resistant. Quinton Bean (left) and Andy de Wet, Andy de Wet and Agapanthus
‘BlackJack’
breeders of Agapanthus ‘BlackJack’
Landscape SA • Issue 126 2023 21