Ageratum blue ball planting and care in the open field

Ageratum - the name of this flower came from Greece, which means "ageless". The name is very suitable for this plant, as it has a very long flowering period. These decorative flowers are very unpretentious and grow everywhere: in flower beds, in gardens, on balconies, in boxes on windowsills. Some amateurs breed ageratum to decorate rooms. They look good in greenhouses.

Ageratum growing from seeds and planting seedlings When to plant ageratum?

When to plant ageratum for seedlings

You can plant flowers with seeds or purchased seedlings. The seedling method is more reliable, and the seed method is cheaper, but much more time consuming. If you plan to plant ageratum as seedlings, it is better to mix the soil with manure before this process, or use ready-made soil from stores. Store soil in this case must be taken for terraced or ampelous flowering plants.

Many readers are looking for photos of ageratum flowers and ask when to plant seedlings

We answer: the ageratum is planted in the ground from the beginning of April to the end of May.

• Sowing ageratum is carried out in February and until the end of April., not very deep (0.5-1 cm).
• It is best to make small grooves, put seeds there, and lightly crush them with earth on top.
• Ageratum does not like cold, so boxes with seedlings should be placed where the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees.
• Planting gives the first shoots in about two weeks. To improve the germination of the plant, it is advisable to cover the boxes with glass or cellophane. That is, to make a kind of mini greenhouse. This will increase the temperature inside the container and help retain moisture.

Ageratum growing from seeds at home

• When the sprouts produce several full-fledged leaves, the seedlings should be picked, it is advisable to immediately transplant the flowers into separate cups. This process is less traumatic for ageratum than for other plants due to well-developed roots.
• You can even transplant already mature plants, for example, from a garden to a pot for the winter.
• After picking, the plants must be watered abundantly.

Ageratum seedlings are ready for planting in the ground

Ageratum growing from seeds when to plant video:

Planting seedlings on a flower bed is carried out, focusing not on numbers, but on weather conditions. Ageratum is thermophilic, and too cold weather can destroy it. The optimal temperature regime is not lower than 20 degrees.

How to dive ageratum video:

For the convenience of landing, you can use peat cups when diving at once. Plants are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other.

Propagation of ageratum by cuttings

what does ageratum look like?

Usually this flower is bred using seeds or seedlings. However, ageratum can also be diluted by cuttings. It's just that other methods of disembarkation are less time consuming, therefore they are used more often.

Cutting is good for when the owner wants to get a smaller, but more bushy plant. This method is also shown when they want to breed hybrids, which, as you know, do not reproduce by seeds, or during reproduction, individuals are obtained that are inferior in decorative properties to mother plants.

To grow ageratum from cuttings, proceed as follows:

• In the fall, before the frost has begun, the plant is transplanted into a flower pot, which is subsequently brought into the house.
• Cuttings are cut in the spring. For grafting, side shoots are taken, several of them can be taken from one plant. The incision should be made just below the kidney. In this place, the tissues of the flower contain a special substance that is not susceptible to the action of the fungus and the mother plant will not start to hurt or die.
• Cuttings of the optimal length are about 5 cm in size. It is best to plant them immediately in a mini greenhouse.

Ageratum flowers take root very well and quickly. Further planting in the ground goes, like the usual seedlings of this plant.

Ageratum care

ageratum in the garden photo

Ageratum after planting does not tolerate water flooding and care consists in maintaining uniform hydration of the pova: he also does not like drying out, so it is better to use moderate daily watering. After it, there should be no puddles on the ground. It is better to water the bushes in the morning, so that excess water, if any, can dry out in the sun.

It is best to plant flowers by mixing earth with humus.

Ageratum sprouts will be stronger and, as a result, more aesthetically pleasing. If there is no humus, compost or mineral fertilizers can be used for this purpose. However, the dosage of the substance used should be strictly observed. With an excess of fertilizers, especially organic ones, the plant grows and does not or gives few flowers. It turns out a large non-flowering bush. Some gardeners advise using nitrophoska or amofoska to avoid this. This fertilizer is taken 20-30 grams per 10 liters of water.

If the plant has gone up, it must be cut, after this procedure, the bush is restored very quickly... It will look more attractive. You also need to collect wilted flowers from time to time. If this is not done, the flower will be less ornate.

Ageratum at home

Ageratum growing at home

The flower develops well at home. Choose for it spacious containers with good drainage. In summer, they can be taken out onto the balcony, veranda, or fixed under the windows. In the cold period, flowers delight with luxurious flowering, which practically does not stop.

Ageratum room

So that the perennial does not die, retains its decorative appearance for many years, use simple rules:

• Choose window sills on the south side of the apartment, where there is more light and warmth.
• Water only at the root, moisturizing without excess. Better to do this in the morning, a little every day.
• It is better to purchase land for planting ageratum ready-made, with a sufficient supply of trace elements and organic matter.In addition, it will have a loose structure that allows air to easily penetrate to the roots.
• Fertilize at least once every six months, choosing complex formulations.
• If the flowers are overgrown, it is best to separate them and transplant them into a larger container.

That's all the simple rules for caring for a room ageratum. As you can see, this is the most unpretentious flower that you can find.

Diseases and pests of ageratum

ageratum on the balcony

The unpretentious plant is very resistant to various diseases, and the tropical origin made the flower "not tasty" for many pests. However, this does not mean that nothing can damage the ageratum. For example, when planting too often, the plants begin to have a cucumber mosaic. It can also occur if these flowers are too flooded. Also in ageratum, if the rules for watering and planting are violated, bacterial wilting may develop. However, if all regulations are followed, these problems can be avoided.

Of the pests to flowers, the most dangerous are spider mites, whiteflies, and aphids. To destroy these pests, you can use both industrial and folk remedies.

Of the folk methods, garlic tincture is the most effective.

Garlic is chopped on a grater or in a garlic dish at the rate of 220 grams of garlic per 1 liter of water. This mixture is infused for about 5 days. Then the tincture is diluted to spray the flowers. The dosage is 200 grams of garlic per 10 liters of water. If you add too much garlic to the solution, the plants can burn.

From industrial means of combating spider mites, something from the insectoacaricide family is best suited. Usually in such cases Nissoran, Neoron and Agraverin are recommended. Commander, Tanrek and Mospilan are shown to fight the whitefly.

If the flowers are planted in open soil ahead of schedule ..

Their leaves can become lighter in color. This is due to the low temperature at night, since the flowers are very thermophilic and do not tolerate it well. A good preventive measure would be hardening ageratum seedlings or sheltering plants at night when it gets cold. For hardening, the seedlings must be taken out for a short time to a room with a colder temperature, for example, on a balcony. You can cover the seedlings with cellophane, paper bags or large cut plastic eggplants.

Problems can arise with the wrong irrigation angle. It was said above that the entire upper part of the ageratum is covered with fluff-like fibers. If the plant is watered abundantly from above, especially with insufficient ventilation of the area, microscopic droplets of water are retained between these villi. As a result, the leaves of the flowers begin to turn black and the flowers begin to mold and rot. It is best to remove such parts immediately, since the ageratum looks very unattractive in this case. As a preventive measure, the root irrigation method is suitable.

How to collect seeds for future planting?

ageratum and marigolds in lagandshaft design photo

Seeds are best harvested immediately after the plant has finished flowering. This happens about the second to third week after the flowers appear. The main thing is that the flowers are pollinated and give seeds. With this, however, problems usually do not arise, since the ageratum is willingly pollinated by bumblebees and bees. The flower seeds are very small and elongated. They are also very light, in a gram they can be up to 6-7 thousand. The collected seeds should be brown with a light shade.

It is best to store seeds in a cool dry place

For this purpose, paper or fabric bags are shown, since future plants in plastic bags can suffocate, which will negatively affect their germination.

It can be concluded that ageratum is an attractive, highly decorative flower, rather easy to care for.The main difficulty in caring for ageratum is that all stages of planting and watering must be performed correctly and in a timely manner. With proper care, everything practically comes down to timely watering, weeding from weeds. Plants will thank the owner with luxurious bright flowers.

Description of the Ageratum Photo of flowers

Ageratum blue in the photo

The homeland of the plant is the southern tropical countries. It is most common in South America, especially in Mexico. Ageratum also grows in India, in the east of the country. In nature, this is a perennial plant, but in Russia the climatic conditions are colder, it is grown here as an annual. During the winter, the plant simply freezes out. However, if planted in a pot or greenhouse, the ageratum will grow for many years.

Ageratum flowers have a very developed root system. The ground part is bushy, with many bright blue flowers. The ground cover looks very beautiful. All terrestrial parts of the plant: the stem, leaves and even flowers, are covered with soft fibers that look like fluff. This adds decorativeness to the ageratum.

The most popular ageratum varieties

If you liked the description of this flower and there is a desire to start it, then before buying its seeds and planting it in your flower bed, you need to decide on the type of plant. Each of the varieties of this decorative flower has its own advantages.

Agerantum blue Ageratum Blue photo

The most popular variety is "Blue Mink" (original Ageratum Blue). The flowers are large, their color is classic. Numerous hybrids have been created on the basis of this variety. The most colorful of them is Ageratum Blue Danube. This hybrid is smaller in size than the parent variety. However, this hybrid is distinguished by the original color of the flowers. In this species of ageratum, they are purple.

Ageratum Mexican photo

I also fell in love with the Mexican variety (sometimes called the Houston Ageratum). It is larger than the Blue Mink. Individual specimens can reach a height of 50 cm. There are two subspecies of this variety: herbaceous and shrub. The flowers have a delicate light blue color, but they can also be with a lilac tint.

Agerantum white Summer Snow

Ageratum Summer Snow is often used as a curb... The bushes of this species of ageratum are not very branched, and the plant itself is more miniature. The leaves are small, but the lush flowers are very luxurious. They have a dark pink tint.

ageratum pink balloon photo

Ageratum pink ball - stunning scattering of dense inflorescences of fluffy sun-flowers. Grows in low bushes, the best annual groundcover for your garden.

ageratum bonjour

Ageratum bonjour variety... Low bushes up to a quarter of a meter tall. The annual blooms from June until frost. A real fragrant cloud of aromatic scent is formed next to the plantings. Small flowers are gracefully collected in bulky corymbose inflorescences. The color is varied. It is grown on balconies, planted in rabatki, flower beds, mixborders.

ageratum snow blanket

Ageratum snow blanket - an amazing ground cover, literally covered with small snow-white flowers, collected in fluffy inflorescences-panicles. It is also low, up to 25 cm. It completely covers the area allotted to it with its green-flowering mass. A luxurious "bedspread" of white flowers can be placed on a separate carpet in a flower bed or combined with other blooming favorites.

ageratum white ball photo

Ageratum white ball - the bushes are covered with inflorescences of small flowers, resembling fluffy balls. it is impossible to look away, such a bewitching sight opens up, especially if bright flowers of red, blue, pink or lilac are planted against the background of the ageratum.

ageratum aztec treasures

Ageratum treasures of the aztecs - has excellent characteristics: fluffy flowers of a wide range of colors look harmonious on flower beds, create spectacular borders, look great in decorative vases.

Where is the best place to plant ageratum

ageratum red Ageratum Red Flint

Ageratum is widely used as an ornamental plant: at home and in the garden. It is most commonly grown in flower beds. Moreover, the flower is grown not only separately, in combination with other ornamental plants, it forms expressive compositions. If you plant one ageratum, you get a beautiful floral carpet.

The southern visitor looks beautiful with plants whose flowers are warm, red, one-time or yellow. These are zinnias, velvet, calendula and many others.

The contrast of cold and warm colors looks very elegant. Low-growing varieties of ageratum are used to decorate curbs or on alpine slides.

How to choose a place for the ageratum disembarkation?

flowers ageratum photo and cultivation

Ageratum is a southern inhabitant, therefore he loves the sun and space. True, now breeders have bred amazing shade-tolerant varieties. However, if possible, it is better to plant it where there is a lot of light. In the shade, the plant is too stretched and looks less aesthetically pleasing. If the soil is too wet, then the roots of the ageratum rot, and the flower may die.

Of course, the soil for cultivation must be fertile and chemically neutral. To create an optimal environment, the soil is fertilized with manure before planting. It is better to use not fresh, but well-rotted manure, so as not to burn the root system. If the soil is poorly ventilated, drainage should be done to avoid root rot. To do this, you just need to remove the soil from the flower bed, put a layer of gravel below, and then fill it all with the removed earth.

ageratum in landscape design photo

Ageratum Houston

Ageratum (Ageratum) is a representative of the aster family. In nature, such a plant can be found in Central and North America, Eastern India. The name of such a flower is derived from the Latin word ageratos, which translates as "ageless". The fact is that cut adorable flowers can remain fresh for a long time. Since the 19th century, such a plant has become popular in European countries, and in Russia it is also called "long-flowered". This plant fell in love with gardeners for its spectacular fluffy flowers that look like pompons, which are part of very dense inflorescences. As a rule, they are colored in various shades of blue. Also, such a flower is very undemanding to care for. There are approximately 60 types of ageratum.

Features of ageratum

On a fairly compact bush there are bright green petiole leaf plates in the shape of an oval, triangle or rhombus. Their edge is serrated. Leaves in the upper part are alternate, and in the lower and middle - opposite. There are many erect shoots, on the surface of which there is pubescence. Their height varies from 10 to 60 centimeters. Small bisexual fragrant flowers are part of not very large (diameter 1–1.5 cm) inflorescences shaped like baskets. And they are collected in complex corymbose inflorescences. They can be colored purple, pink, blue or white. The fruit is a 5-sided achene of a wedge-shaped elongated shape. 7 thousand seeds weigh only 1 g. Their good germination is maintained for 3-4 years.

In middle latitudes, ageratum is grown as an annual, because it is not frost-resistant. Such a plant will be able to decorate a rabatka, a flower bed, and will also look great in carpet compositions. Such a flower can be planted together with marigolds, calendula, snapdragons, which are also annual plants.

Features of growing ageratum from seeds

Sowing

Most often, such a plant is grown from seeds.Sowing is carried out from mid to late March. In this case, the boxes must be filled with a mixture that includes sand, humus and peat (1: 1: 1). Sprinkle the seeds with a thin layer of soil. The container is broken up with glass or film and removed into heat (at least 15 degrees). Crops need daily ventilation. The soil should be slightly moistened all the time. Therefore, it must be systematically moistened from a spray bottle. The first shoots will appear in about 14 days, after which the shelter should be removed.

Seedling

When the seedlings have a couple of real leaves, they need to be planted more spaciously. The pick is carried out 2 times. During the 2nd pick, the plant is planted in separate pots (cups). Ageratums need dry air and a constantly humidified substrate. Plants can only be watered in the morning. A couple of weeks before planting, the plant should be transferred to the street. If there is a threat of freezing, then the seedlings must be covered.

Landing

Landing in open ground should be done after the threat of night frost has passed. The selected area of ​​soil should not be exposed to drafts. The place must be sunny, because with a lack of light, the plants stretch out and bloom very poorly. A non-acidic, lightweight, well-drained soil rich in nutrients is best suited. However, this plant is not too demanding on the soil. In carefully loosened soil, you need to make not too deep pits, the distance between them is from 10 to 15 cm. You need to plant seedlings to the depth at which they grew in the container. Flowering begins after about 8 weeks.

Outdoor Ageratum Care

In order for the ageratum to please you with its unusually beautiful flowers, it needs to be properly cared for. So, this plant needs to be watered in a timely manner, remove weeds, loosen the soil, and also apply fertilizer to the soil. It needs a fairly abundant watering, but at the same time it is impossible to fill the flower in any case. After the plant is watered, it is necessary to loosen the soil and at the same time pull out all the weeds.

Top dressing is carried out with a frequency of 1 time in 2 or 3 weeks. Mineral or humic fertilizers are perfect for this. It is also recommended for feeding an infusion prepared on a mullein. But it should be borne in mind that fresh manure cannot be used for feeding ageratum, because the plant reacts to it extremely negatively. Also, you should not overfeed the flower, because in this case the green mass will grow vigorously, but the flowering will become scarce. Do not forget to pick off fading inflorescences in a timely manner. This plant needs pruning for abundant and spectacular flowering. So, only a few internodes should remain on the shoot. After the pruning procedure, the plant begins to grow actively and bloom more abundantly.

What to do when the ageratum fades?

Before the first frosts begin, it is recommended to dig up the most lush bushes and plant them in separate flower pots. Plants can be placed in the house, on the veranda or on the balcony. Ageratums will bloom for the entire autumn period, and maybe even part of the winter. From these bushes in early spring, you can cut the cuttings and root them. Then, with the onset of heat, they are transplanted into open ground.

Such a plant is very fond of warmth, therefore, it is not able to overwinter even under cover under the condition of a mild winter. In this regard, in the fall, it is necessary to remove the remnants of plants from the flower bed, and in the spring to plant new flowers there.

Pests and diseases

Ageratums are not resistant to diseases, which is considered their main drawback. Often rot appears on the root system of such a plant. If this happens, then it will no longer be possible to save the infected bushes.However, it should be borne in mind that the appearance of root rot can be prevented, and some fairly simple preventive measures will help you with this. So, the first step for planting is to choose a light, well-drained soil. Water the plant carefully, avoiding overflow. You also need to systematically loosen the soil. All this will help to avoid the appearance of rot on the roots. Ageratum is also prone to cucumber mosaic, as well as bacterial wilting, and such diseases develop due to violation of the rules of care.

Seedlings of ageratums, located in the house or in the greenhouse, must be protected from pests such as whiteflies and spider mites. If insects are found, the infected leaves must be torn off and treated with an insecticidal agent.

In the open field, nematodes and scoops can settle on this plant. Getting rid of such pests is not so easy, it is much easier to prevent their appearance. To do this, it is enough to provide the ageratum with proper care. Remember that only with prolonged violation of the rules for caring for such flowers, they become susceptible to various diseases and pests.

The main types and varieties with photo examples

Since it is not very difficult to grow such a plant, and there is nothing difficult at all in caring for it, it has gained quite a lot of popularity among flower growers. Below are the most popular varieties and types of ageratum.

White Ageratum

The height of the bush reaches 20 centimeters, erect shoots. Fragrant flowers are painted white.

Ageratum blue "Blue mink"

Compact, strong and well-branched bushes reach a height of 20 to 25 centimeters. Very fluffy inflorescences are painted in a bluish color shade and outwardly they are similar to mink fur, since the bush is completely covered with them. The inflorescences have a diameter of 5 to 8 centimeters.

Ageratum Houston, or Ageratum Mexican

Small bushes have the shape of a ball. Their height varies from 15 to 60 centimeters (depending on the variety). Fluffy flowers are collected in baskets, which are part of inflorescences with a diameter of 3-8 centimeters.

Varieties

1. «Alba"- white flowers are collected in dense inflorescences.

   Alba

2. «Azur Pearl"- blue flowers are collected in fairly large inflorescences.

   Azur Pearl

3. «Faye Pink"- dark pink loose inflorescences have a diameter of 4 to 5 centimeters. The leaf plates are rather small. The height of the bush varies from 20 to 30 centimeters.

   Faye Pink

4. «Blue Mink"- bluish flowers have a lilac tint. The leaves are large enough, and the height of the bush reaches 25 to 30 centimeters.

   Blue Mink

5. «Blue Bouquet"- the flowers are painted in a beautiful blue color. This variety has the greatest height - 45 centimeters.

   Blue Bouquet

6. «Bavaria"- rather large loose inflorescences consist of two-colored flowers. So, their middle is pale blue (almost white), and around there are thin petals of a deep blue color. The bush is 25-30 centimeters high.

   Bavaria

7. Hybrid plants of the Hawaii cultivar group: "Royal Hawaii" - the height of dwarf plants does not exceed 15 centimeters, the flowers are purple-purple; "White Hawaii" - dwarf bushes do not exceed 18 centimeters in height, white flowers. Royal Hawaii

   White Hawaii

The Aster family includes many beautiful plants, including ageratum. The flower received such an unusual name because of its characteristics; this plant blooms for a very long time, starting in June and ending with the first frosts. Translated from Latin, the word ageratos means ageless. Gardeners have already fallen in love with it, and this is not surprising, because the plant has an unusually beautiful appearance, suitable for decorating not only lawns and flower beds, but also balconies. More details about growing ageratum from seeds will be discussed in this article.

Ageless ageratum

Description

Peru is considered the birthplace of the Ageratum. It is a perennial plant, reaching a height of 20-60 cm.Due to its unusual properties, ageratum can delight gardeners with its flowering for a long time, it is not for nothing that it is popularly called "long-flowered".

Ageratum - growing from seeds when to plant

The plant is used in landscaping, so most often it can be seen in the gardens of country houses. Blooming until the coldest days and its beautiful appearance made the long-flowered a must-see at various flower exhibitions. The inflorescences have a pleasant aroma that does not disappear for a long time, as does the pristine beauty of flowers. The decorativeness of the ageratum is given by the fact that its column and stigma are slightly longer than the corolla of the flower. The diameter of the baskets reaches 1.5 cm, and they, in turn, form large inflorescences (up to 12 cm), which evenly cover the entire plant.

Ageratum white bushes

On a note! The shape of the leaves, depending on the ageratum variety, may vary. Most often, there are plant varieties with oval leaves, on the edges of which denticles are present. Ripe fruits contain a huge amount of seeds (there are at least 6,000 seeds per 1 g). The seeds are unpretentious, so they may well sprout even after several years of ripening.

Ageratum flower

Popular plant varieties

There are more than 70 different plant species, differing from each other in their decorative characteristics (color shades, flowering time, bush height, and so on). But not all are used in gardening. Let's consider the most common varieties.

Table. Popular ageratum varieties.

Alba	An unusually beautiful plant with large lilac-blue or white inflorescences. The height of the bush rarely exceeds 30 cm, which makes it look more collected and compact. It is a late plant as it begins to bloom in the second half of June.
Blau Sternchen	Small bushes up to 15 cm in height are painted with densely pubescent green shoots. The inflorescences of this variety are colored lilac, although plants with blue flowers can be found. The flowering period falls in June.
Neptune blue f1	One of the most popular ageratum hybrids, distinguished by its short stature (up to 15 cm) and small blue flowers. Flowering begins in early summer.
Blue Mink	A sturdy plant with thick and sturdy shoots, reaching a height of 30 cm. The diameter of dense inflorescences is no more than 2.3 cm, they are decorated with lilac flowers. This variety begins to bloom in the second half of June.
Bavaria	An unusual variety of ageratum, the inflorescences of which are painted in two shades: light blue petals surround the white core of the baskets. The inflorescences of this plant are quite large, which makes it an excellent option for decorating the garden.
Рink Beauty	It belongs to compact ageratum varieties. Its height rarely exceeds 20 cm, although specimens up to 15 cm are most often found. The color of the buds is dark pink, and the inflorescences that later come out of them have a pale pink tint.

Ageratum is often used to simulate a dry stream or reservoir

Ageratum Mexican or Houston / Ageratum houstonianum

Several types of ageratum are toxic, containing the alkaloid pyrrolizidine. For example, Ageratum houstonianum and Ageratum conyzoides

Sowing time

If you decide to grow ageratum seedlings, then you need to understand that the period between sowing seeds and the first flowering is at least 60 days. Since this is a thermophilic plant, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of spring frosts at the time of planting seedlings in the soil. Even slight cold snaps can negatively affect the flower - this must be taken into account.

Seedlings of ageratum

On a note! Having carried out simple mathematical calculations, it is easy to guess that mid-March is considered the most optimal period for sowing ageratum seeds. Of course, you can sow the seeds at a later period, but the beginning of flowering will be slightly delayed.

Growing from seeds

Ageratum is a perennial plant, but in our conditions there is no need for its long-term use. Breeding can be carried out in two ways - by cuttings and seeds, but, having finally weighed all the pros and cons, the growers usually stop at the second method.

Ageratum seeds

On a note! The ageratum development cycle is accelerated, which distinguishes the plant from its “colleagues”. Thanks to this feature, you can move the sowing period to April-May.

Soil preparation

Like any plant, ageratum loves nutritious soil. In this case, it is better to use slightly acidic or neutral soil, therefore, if you decide to prepare the soil mixture yourself, mixing humus, lime and garden soil, do not forget to add a little dolomite flour - this will reduce the acidity of the soil. Also, do not add too much humus, as too much humus will badly affect the flowering, making it more scarce.

Soil preparation

This all concerns only the soil prepared with your own hands. Few gardeners do this. It will be much easier to purchase ready-made soil for flowers in the store than to prepare it.

Universal nutritious soil for vegetables and flowers

Sowing seeds

Step 1. Fill the seedling container (in this case, the container) about 80% potting soil. If you want to grow several varieties of ageratum at once, it is better to take a separate container for each of them.

Containers filled with soil

Step 2. Place the seeds from the bag on a plate. You do not need to use everything, since the seeds are very small and there are a lot of them. Half the contents of the package for one container is enough. It is not necessary to carry out preliminary preparation of the seed.

Seeds spill out onto a plate

Step 3. Sow seeds evenly over the surface of the soil. They have a long shape, so you can easily notice if 5-6 pieces have accumulated in some place. Use a regular toothpick to push the seeds apart. This will be much faster than removing seedlings later.

Sowing ageratum seeds

Step 4. During cultivation, monitor the moisture content of the soil. Early on, moisture can be preserved by placing the container in a pre-drilled container. If the seeds are not provided with a sufficient amount of moisture, then the plant in almost all cases dies.

Containers are placed in a container

Step 5. Place the seed container on a sunny windowsill. If all the necessary conditions for seed germination are met, then soon you will receive such friendly shoots.

First shoots

Open ground transplant

In the second half of May, having chosen a clear and warm week (looking ahead to the weather forecast), start transplanting plant seedlings into open soil. Place seedlings in the wells prepared in advance, and fill the remaining space with soil, which must be slightly (but not strongly) compacted. The distance between low-growing ageratum varieties should be no more than 15 cm, between tall ones - up to 25 cm.

Seedling culture

On a note! The area where you plant the plants should be sunny, as even slight shading can cause the shoots to pull out. As a result, the flowering rate decreases. Even though most of the work is behind you, you still have to work hard. It's about caring for the ageratum.

The use of Mexican ageratum in the design of flower beds and flower beds

Follow-up care

Although the plant is considered unpretentious and not demanding to care for, you still need to pay attention to it. But the work and time spent will not be wasted. As a result, you will be rewarded with a lush and bright bloom of the ageratum.

Ageratum coniziform

Top dressing

For feeding, you can use not only mineral, but also organic fertilizers. Also, gardeners prefer to apply complex fertilizers.This should be done every 3 weeks, and the first feeding should be carried out using the minimum dosage of fertilizers. Otherwise, flowering may slow down due to their excess. It is highly discouraged to use manure to fertilize the soil, because it can destroy ageratum.

Mineral fertilizers

Watering

The root system of this plant is very developed, which allows ageratum to extract the right amount of moisture from the soil. Therefore, water regularly - every 3 weeks, but at least once a month. In a hot season, the frequency of watering, as well as the amount of water used, can be slightly increased.

Ageratums will delight you with a gorgeous color, provided that they are additionally watered in dry weather. This should be done generously, but not excessively.

Pruning ageratum

To obtain lush and beautiful bushes, it is necessary to periodically prune the ageratum. Leave no more than 4 internodes when pruning to speed up plant development. Before the first frosts, flowers can be transplanted into separate pots and grown in greenhouses or at home. Proper care will allow you to enjoy beautiful flowers throughout the winter.

On a note! With the onset of spring, the bushes can be transplanted into open ground again or the plants can be cut into cuttings, thus rejuvenating it.

White Ageratum

Loosening the soil

Regular watering and feeding is not the only thing that needs to be done when growing ageratum. The soil around the plants must be loosened regularly. Since this flower loves to grow in airy soil, this procedure will improve its growth. When loosening, be sure to remove all weeds as they inhibit plant growth. After completing the next weeding, mulch the soil. This will prevent excessive evaporation of moisture.

Disease and pest control

Like most ornamental plants, ageratum can be subject to various diseases, the most common of which is root rot. Neglect of preventive measures will lead to rotting and, as a result, the death of the plant. To prevent this from happening, you need to pay attention to the intensity of watering and periodically loosen the soil. The ageratum can also be affected by the cucumber mosaic, which is also the result of non-compliance with the rules of care.

Ageratum diseases

Seedlings that are still indoors or in a greenhouse should be protected from whiteflies. If these pests do appear, it is imperative to remove the damaged plants, and treat the flowers themselves with insecticides. Treat until all insects are completely eliminated. Over time, when you transplant seedlings into open ground in a flower bed, nematodes or scoops can encroach on the plants. In this case, you also need to use special processing tools. And remember that correct and conscientious observance of the rules of agricultural technology will save your plants from such troubles.

Whitefly

What does a scoop look like

Decorative uses

As noted earlier, ageratum is of great value for landscaping and decoration of sites. This is due to long flowering, unpretentiousness and color diversity. This combination is quite rare among ground cover ornamental plants.

Ageratum photo on flower beds

Ageratum in group composition

Vivid variety of ageratum in a flower bed

Outdoor Ageratum Care

Low-growing ageratum varieties are ideal for decorating balconies, loggias or borders, and tall plants can be grown for further cutting. If we talk about the combination with other flowers, then the blue ageratum varieties will look great with escholtia, zinnias and marigolds. In other words, any unpretentious flowers of yellow shades are suitable here.

Video - Germinating ageratum seeds

Ageratum is grown for fluffy flowers that look like pompons.They are collected in dense inflorescences-baskets and exude a pleasant aroma. Ageratum care is simple, but you need to know some features.

The name of the plant in translation from Greek means "ageless". Ageratum really retains freshness for a very long time in the cut, and in the flowerbed it pleases the eye with its lush inflorescences from June to late autumn. Therefore, the people often call this flower a long-flowered one.

The average height of ageratum bushes is from 15 to 25 cm. Low-growing specimens do not exceed 10 cm, and tall varieties grow up to 60 cm.In nature, there are about 60 species of ageratum, but there are not so many color options for flowers: it can be white, blue, blue, purple, lilac and pink. And not so long ago, a variety of yellow ageratum appeared.

Sowing ageratum seeds for seedlings

In the middle lane, ageratum is grown as an annual and only in seedlings, since it cannot stand the cold. Seeds are sown in the second half of March - early April in a container with a mixture of equal parts of humus, sand and peat. The seeds are lightly sprinkled with the same soil, covered with glass or polyethylene and kept at a temperature of 15-20 ° C in the light. The crops are aired daily and when the soil dries up, they are sprayed with a spray bottle. After the emergence of seedlings, the film or glass is removed, and the soil continues to be regularly moistened.

After the formation of 3-4 true leaves, the seedlings are seated in a more spacious container or immediately in separate pots. For seedlings to develop correctly, the air around the seedlings must be dry and the soil slightly damp all the time. It is also important that daylight falls on the seedlings, otherwise they will stretch out.

Planting ageratum in open ground

Seedlings are planted in a flower bed in late May - early June, when the threat of night frosts has passed. For ageratum, choose a sunny and wind-protected area with nutritious, light, non-acidic and drained soil.

The soil is carefully loosened, holes are dug at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other and seedlings are planted in them to the same depth at which they were in the containers.

After that, the plants are watered and regularly looked after until autumn.

Shortly before the onset of the first frost, the best specimens can be transplanted into flower pots and placed on the balcony, veranda or in the house. Then these delicate flowers will decorate your interior in late autumn, sometimes at the beginning of the dep. And in March, you can cut cuttings from ageratum bushes, root them and plant them in open ground in May. Then you don't have to mess with seeds.

Rules for growing ageratum in the open field

The plant is undemanding to the soil, but prefers a light, neutral and moderately nutritious soil. Ageratum grows green mass in the “overfed” substrate to the detriment of beautiful flowers. He loves regular and abundant watering, but at the same time he is able to withstand short-term drought. However, the plant cannot be flooded: root rot may develop.

Ageratum loves light and warmth, therefore it quickly fades with the arrival of the first autumn frosts. The bushes tolerate the haircut well. Therefore, if the plant is frozen over, for example, in late spring, it is pruned, leaving 2-3 internodes on each shoot.

The main summer care for ageratum in the open field is the timely removal of wilted inflorescences, regular weeding and loosening of the soil. During flowering, it is useful to feed the plants with complex mineral fertilizer or mullein infusion every 2-3 weeks. But fresh manure cannot be used.

Ageratum in landscape design

This delicate flower looks good in any plantings: ridges, borders, rock gardens, in the foreground of a mixborder. Compact varieties of ageratum can be used as container plants: in outdoor flowerpots, balcony boxes.

Ageratum goes well with marigolds, calendula, zinnia, cineraria, antirrinum, verbena, rudbeckia, helenium.A monoclumba can also be created from the ageratum, but it is better to plant varieties with different shades of flowers. All possible tones of long-flowered inflorescences are perfectly combined with each other. But keep in mind: pink flowers can fade over time.

Since ageratum retains its fresh appearance for a long time in the cut, beautiful bouquets are obtained from tall varieties of plants. For example, blue ageratum looks good with rudbeckia, zinnia, snapdragon and calendula. It is also suitable for creating winter bouquets.

The most popular types and varieties of ageratum

In landscape design, the most common Houston Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum), or Mexican (Ageratum mexicanum). Below we list the best varieties of this species.

White ball

It is a compact plant (about 20 cm high) with neat fluffy inflorescences (1.5-1.7 cm in diameter) of a snow-white color.

Leda

This blue and white ageratum leaves no one indifferent thanks to its iridescent inflorescences. The flowers cover the compact bushes so abundantly that the leaves are almost invisible.

Blue mink

The bush grows 20-25 cm high, during the summer the plant is decorated with bright dark blue flowers, collected in dense inflorescences with a diameter of 5-7 cm.

Aloha Blue

Low-growing ageratum up to 15 cm high. On numerous stems there are small flowers collected in corymbose inflorescences.

Fire Pink

This fiery pink ageratum is distinguished by loose inflorescences (4-5 cm in diameter) and small leaves. The height of the bush is 20-30 cm.

A large number of ageratum hybrids are currently on the market. For example: Adriatic F1 (15 cm tall, with blue-blue inflorescences), Atlantic F1 and North Sea F1 (purple-blue flowers), Ocean F1 (20 cm tall, light blue flowers). In addition to single-color ageratums, you can also find mixtures on sale (for example, Hawaii Mixed), sowing which, you will grow flowers of pink, white, purple and blue color. Ideal for those who love colorful flower beds!

Do you live this attractive annual in your flower garden? And what varieties do you prefer?