Ageratum houstonianum City Blue

Ageratum houstonianum 'City Blue' is a superb recent achievement. It is a vigorous plant, both tall and ramified. Blooming abundantly throughout the summer, its large fluffy bouquets are adorned with a light blue-mauve colour and a tender powdery texture. The sturdy stems of this generous variety make it ideal for adding height to borders or for making long-lasting bouquets. A perennial plant grown as an annual, it appreciates the sun and moist soil.

'City Blue' is a cultivar resulting from extensive selection work carried out on Ageratum houstonianum, the Mexican ageratum. This species belongs to the Asteraceae family and is native to Central America and the Caribbean. It is a frost-tender perennial grown as an annual under most climate conditions, and it grows particularly tall, forming a rounded and dense mass of foliage, easily reaching 60 cm (23.6 in) in all directions. Highly ramified and covered in hairs, its numerous sturdy stems stand upright while spreading out. The leaves, also hairy, are dentate and ovate in shape. Sometimes they are heart-shaped at the base, and their colour is a tender green. From April until early autumn, the flowers bloom continuously if faded flowers are regularly removed. The inflorescences are lavender-blue heads, grouped in large pompom-like clusters, almost entirely hiding the foliage.

Mexican ageratums are often planted in urban landscaping. Their floribundity and vibrant colours allow for interesting combinations with many other low-growing plants in flower beds: marigolds, calendulas, or red salvias will see their bright hues softened by the powdery blue of this variety. It is easy to create a pastel carpet by pairing them with pink begonias and impatiens. It is particularly suitable for creating beautiful and long-lasting bouquets. These plants also perform very well in pots, indoors, on a terrace, or balcony.

Note: Please be aware that our plug plants are professional products intended for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them in shelters (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14° C (57.2° F) for a few weeks before being installed outdoors once the risk of frost is definitively eliminated.