Ageratum houstonianum
Bluemink, Floss flower, Billy goat weed
Also known as Ageratum mexicanum
- Height × spread
- 0.4m × 0.3m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Frost free greenhouse 1C & above (RHS H2)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This has clusters of fine petalled flowers, a soft blue shade and borne on rather long bare green stems. The foliage is likewise soft with broad oval leaves with some impressed veins, making a small, though slightly informal looking plant. The flowers, like tiny powder puffs when studied closely, come in summer and early autumn. Deadhead once they have finished and you may be rewarded with a second late season flush. Give this a sunny sheltered spot in fertile soil that is well drained but which always has moisture in it. The plant stands around 40cm (16in) high with a 30cm (12in) spread.
- Flower colour
- Blue
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.4m
- Spread
- 0.3m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Small scale garden, Seaside garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Frost free greenhouse 1C & above (RHS H2)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Bedding plant, Deer resistant, Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Apply slow release fertiliser
Apply a slow release fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plants soon after they have come into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Planting & general
Planting
Deadhead blooms during flowering season
Remove flowers as they turn brown and fade. Snip the stem just below the bloom. This will keep the plant tidy and encourage more flowers.
The removal of spent flowers encourages the plant to produce fresh ones, rather than spend its energy on the development of seeds.
Found in
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