By Liliana Cerquozzi
A Lily You Can Trust. With the heat and humidity that is prominent in Florida, gardens that thrive on color can count on the Agapanthus aka the African Lily or Lily-of-the-Nile to sustain its color throughout the Summer months. The scorching summer months usually cause even the sturdiest perennials to burst and wilt away, but that won’t stop the Agapanthus from keeping its bloom. It thrives off of the intense heat causing it to sustain itself throughout the Summer making the gardens here at The Cummer more attractive than ever.
Although Mrs. Cummer favored plants that grew in Indiana, they simply could not thrive in the Florida climate. So, as a gift to his bride, Mr. Cummer presented two pots of Agapanthus, which at the time were a rare find in a garden. Since then, the Agapanthus has multiplied beautifully throughout The Upper Garden and the violet blue bulbs can be seen attractively blooming in the month of May.
Why did Mrs. Cummer like the plants in Indiana? Did she have ties there?
Mrs. Cummer was born in Indiana and went to school in Michigan so she first used landscape architects from that part of the world to help her establish her garden in Jacksonville – using plants she would have been familiar with from her youth.