Varieties of Ageratum

Characteristics and Uses

• Varieties of the species Ageratum houstonianum have blue, pink, white, lavender, purple or bicolored flowers. The fuzzy, fringed flowers look like tiny pom-poms. Ageratum cultivars are prized for the color and texture they add to flowerbeds, as well as their long blooming season. Compact varieties form low mounds suited to edges, borders and containers. Taller varieties look best planted in the middle or back of the bed, depending on height. Tall varieties can be cut for floral arrangements.

Blue Cultivars

• There are more cultivars of blue-flowered Ageratum than pink, white or purple. These varieties offer a pop of blue color to beds when planted near other low-growing plants with white, pink or yellow flowers. Among the more commonly found varieties, the flowers of Blue Danube and Blue Blazer are an intense shade of blue. Blue Hawaii and Blue Ribbon produce medium-blue flowers. Blue Jay and Blue Mink both produce light blue flowers. All of these cultivars grow 8 inches or smaller except Blue Mink, which grows 12 inches tall.

Other Colors

• Beyond the ubiquitous blue shades of Ageratum, there are also pink, white, lavender, and purple varieties. Summer Snow produces white flowers on a 6-inch-tall plant. In addition to the blue cultivar, the Hawaii series also has pink and white cultivars. North Sea produces lavender blooms and Pacific produces violet- purple flowers. Both cultivars grow 8 inches tall.

Bicolor Cultivars

• A few types of Ageratum houstonianum produce flowers with two distinct colors or one color that fades and blends into another. Bavaria, a 12-inch-tall cultivar, produces white flowers brightly edged in aqua. The flowers of Southern Cross have white centers that fade to light blue edges. This compact variety prefers part shade. The dark pink centers of another bicolor, compact cultivar, Pinky Improved, fade to light pink at edge of the flowers.