| Description | Ageratum is a short to medium tall, mainly blue-colored annual for the full sun garden. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (a-jer-A-tum)(hew-so-nee-AH-num) |
| Plant Type | Annuals, Site author's observations |
| Sunlight | full sun |
| Moisture | average, may need additional moisture during dry spells. |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Temperature | A tender garden annual turning black at the first frost. Planting sooner than Memorial Day weekend may be risky (zone #5). |
| Flowers | Small 1/4-1/2" tubular flowers are in clusters forming a fluffy ball, borne on an inflorescence called a cyme; the primary color is blue, also rose, pink, and white. |
| Leaves | simple, green, opposite, heart shaped |
| Roots | fiborus |
| Dimensions | 6-8" to 24 inches tall, there are some taller types such as 'Blue Planet.' |
| Maintenance | When the flowers start to wither, they need to be deadheaded. However, deadheading is quite challenging for some cultivars, as their flowers are situated on short scapes and are tough to remove. I find the task of deadheading this plant quite unpleasant. Also, taller varieties of this plant may require staking to keep them upright. |
| Propagation | small seeds, start 6-8 weeks before they are going to be planted in the garden. |
| Native Site | Native to Mexico and Central and South America |
| Misc Facts | Genus named after William Houston who collected the species in the Antilles and Mexico. |
| Author's Notes | Ageratum were one of my main plants I used in commercials gardens. They were blue, short and hardy. Easy to grow and maintian. |
| Notes & Reference | #27-Rodale's Annual Gardens (Paul Loewer), #28-Cottage Garden Annuals(Clive Lane), #51-Armitage's Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half-Hardy Perennials (Alan Arimitage),#109-Annuals and Tender Perennials for North American Gardens (Wayne Winterroud) |
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