Ageratum houstonianum, commonly known as flossflower, bluemink, blueweed, pussy foot or Mexican paintbrush, is a cool-season annual plant often grown as bedding in gardens.
Mexican ageratum Care
Ageratum houstonianum
What is the plant
Ageratum houstonianum, commonly called floss flower, is a frost-tender annual of the aster family that provides continuous bloom for beds, gardens or containers from late spring to frost. Features fluffy flowers (basically asters with ray flowers absent) in flattened to slightly rounded clusters atop compact, mounded plants generally ranging from 4” to 18” tall. Some taller varieties (e.g., the triploid ‘Blue Horizon’) are more erect and grow to as much as 30” tall. Species flowers are medium blue, however many cultivars are available in commerce in various shades of blue, pink, red, white and bicolor. Leaves are typically rounded, cordate-at-the-base, hairy, slightly quilted and soft green. Taller varieties make good cut flowers. Genus name presumably comes from the Greek a meaning not and geras meaning old age because the flowers hold their color for a long time.
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Humidity
High
Lighting
Full Sun
Temperature
5°C - 5°C
Hardiness zone
10a - 13b
Difficulty
Medium
Invasive
Weed
How to Care for the Plant
Water
Ageratum flowers require about 2.5″ inches of water a week. For daily irrigation use a soaker or use a sprinkler for watering twice weekly. Reduce the amount of water you give to the plant if you receive more than 1 inch of rainfall in a particular week. Avoid overhead watering and provide good air circulation to prevent the plant from powdery mildew.
Fertilizer
Feed your ageratum plant once a month using a water-soluble liquid blooming plant fertilizer. If necessary you can pull back the mulch around your plants slightly during application.
Sunlight
Ageratum houstonianum performs best in full sun. It tolerates light shade, and prefers some light afternoon shade in hot summer climates.
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Soil
This plant prefers rich soils with good drainage. To the planting location, add 4″ to 6″ inches of organic compost.
Temperature
Optimal cardinal temperature range is 40 to 85°F (4-29°C). These plants are grown as annuals, first autumn frost will kill most if not all plants, at which point they may be removed from the garden.
Popularity
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