Ageratum is a native of Central America. Its name translates from Latin as "ageless" and speaks of the ability to blossom for a long time and stand in bouquets for a long time.
Ageratum is referred to the family of astroves.It is a small one-year-old bush with bright green leaves and fluffy inflorescences of violet, blue, white, lilac or pink. The height of the bush depends on the variety and is from 10 to 60 cm. At home, in Central America, there are about 60 species of this plant, and there it is - perennial. In the middle latitudes it is cultivated as an annual culture.
Although the varieties of ageratum suggest a diversecoloring, but you should know that in a bright, direct sun, the white ageratum burns out and loses its appeal. The pink ageratum does not have a saturated pink color, but rather a dirty pink, which also does not make it a flower bed decoration. The violet and blue ageratum are best seen in flower beds.
Varieties:has a variety of varieties that differ from each other by the period of flowering, the shape and color of the inflorescence, the shape of the leaves and the height of the bush. Hybrids of the ageratum have now been widely used, they are of great value because of an earlier, prolonged and abundant flowering. The bushes of such plants differ in compactness, they are the same in height, which is important for growing the ageratum as a curb plant.
If you need to decorate the cuttings, mixboarders, balcony boxes, then an invaluable assistant in this will be the ageratum blue muff, whose height does not exceed 20-25 cm.
A special decorative feature is the blue agetatummink - a neat compact bush height of 30-35 cm. Its fragrant, fluffy inflorescences of lilac-blue color, dense and large, decorate the flower gardens from the middle of June until late autumn.
Agrotechnics:azeratum blue mink - a plant light-loving and thermophilic, easily tolerates drought. Rapidly develops on light, non-acidic, fairly nutritious soils. But on a very greasy, fertilized land develops a large green mass, and raw and stony soils do not tolerate at all. He loves places, sunny and open, and even with a slight shading, he stretches himself out, unfriendly blooms and does not seem so spectacular.
Reproduction:propagate the ageratum by sowing seeds, sowing them in seedlings at the end of March - in the first days of April and lightly sprinkling. Shoots at soil temperature + 18-21 ° C appear in a week or two. Dive seedlings in 3 weeks, in the open ground planted in the spring, after the end of frost. Before planting, the ground must necessarily be loosened, shed holes with water and plant the plants at a distance of at least 20 cm.
To obtain planting material, you canto multiply an ageratum with cuttings. To do this, cuttings queen cells, stored in winter in a cool place. At temperatures above 20 ° C, the cuttings quickly become rooted, and we obtain excellent seedlings for the flower beds. The plants grown from the cuttings retain the purity of the variety.
Care:Although the blue mink ageratum has a fairly developed root system and is resistant to heat and drought, it likes copious watering. The plant easily tolerates a haircut, which makes the bushes more decorative and gives a new impetus for further lush flowering. Regular weeding and loosening, fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers and removing faded flowers will prolong the decorative life of this plant and preserve the uniqueness of flowering. It must be remembered that the ageratum does not tolerate waterlogged soil and fresh manure.
Diseases and pests:unfortunately, the blue mink ageratum is vulnerable to pests. He is harmed by aphids and whitefly, scoop and spider mite. Many harm is caused by viral and bacterial diseases. Remove chemicals from them can be treated with chemical means of protection or infusions of insecticidal plants.
Using:this flower is very much appreciated for a rather rare blue color. We are used on flowerbeds, curbs, rabatkah, in group plantings, as a potter's crop when planting balconies. Having planted the ageratum at the very edge of the flower garden on a sunny spot, or along the garden paths, or by the whole group in the foreground of the flower garden, or directly on the lawn, we will get a spectacular color spot. Ageratum is useful for outdoor pots, for boxes on the balcony or flower containers. High varieties of plants are suitable for cutting with other bright plants in bouquets.
