Ageratum Houstonianum Reviews

Botanical Name: Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Danube' a-jer-AY-tum hoos-tone-ee-AY-num Common Name: 'Blue Danube' ageratum, 'Blue Danube' floss flower Genus: Ageratum
This early, compact bloomer grows to only about 6 or 7 inches tall. With its icy blue-purple flowers, it works well when planted tightly along the foreground of a bed. Its color blends easily with most other hues and textures.As a long-blooming summer annual, this plant keeps a nice mounded shape throughout its bloom period. Covered with clusters of small flowers, Ageratum is very easy to grow in a sunny location.
The Ageratums that you’ll want for the garden, however, are chosen from the wide assortment of selected varieties offered by nurseries and garden centers. The Ageratum species is an annual that grows to a height of over 2 ft (0.6 m), has blue flowers, and tends to become a pest as it liberally reseeds itself all over the garden. These all tend to be more compact and better behaved than the basic species. These varieties form shapely mounds and produce generous quantities of soft fuzzy flowers arranged in clusters.
Ageratum is typically seen in colors ranging from purple to blue to lavender and pink. A white flowering variety is also occasionally encountered. Leaves are oval to heart shaped.

Ageratum is perfect for contributing bulk to live container arrangements. Use it in borders and edging. Mass blue ageratum in beds with yellow marigolds for a study in complementary colors or with pink begonias to create a soft pastel carpet.
Ageratum houstonianum is native to an area that stretches from southern Mexico to Guatemala on the Pacific coast and eastward to Belize on the Caribbean Sea.
Tips:

Ageratum grows quickly to form compact mounds of fresh looking foliage that are covered with blossoms for nearly all summer and into fall. It is available in several shades of blue that provide a nice contrast to other common bedding materials.
Light: Likes bright sun. In Florida and other hot areas, ageratum looks best if grown in part shade.
Moisture: Needs water during dry periods.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 – 10. The party is over when frost strikes this tender annual.
Propagation: Seedlings dislike being disturbed, so plant the small seeds indoors in peat pots for transplanting outdoors after danger of frost has passed. Most gardeners prefer to purchase cell packs of young plants. These are inexpensive and are universally available from nurseries, hardware and discount stores.