Blue Ageratum

by Jane H.
(Minnesota)

My favorite blue annual is ageratum. I would describe the shade of blue as periwinkle. I have never raised white or pink ageratum. This is because I buy flowers as bedding plants from local nurseries, which seem to stock blue more often.

I'm not sure how easy or difficult it would be to start ageratum from seed, either indoors or outdoors, in northern Minnesota. My usual routine is to purchase plants by Memorial Day, to be placed on graves and then taken home to replant in my flower beds.

Ageratum doesn't really compete with the silk flowers and elaborate decorations that appear in cemeteries in late May. It is low growing and understated. But I know that when I combine the unique lavender blue of ageratum with bright yellow marigolds in planters and flower gardens, together they are stunning and eye-catching. I love the combination because it reminds me of the Swedish flag, even though the shades don't quite match.

I tend to purchase the ageratum last, and reserve it for the graves of relatives who are more distant to me. A great uncle named Olaf, whom I barely remember, is buried in a quiet area of a local cemetery. He never married so there are no descendants. But someone browsing graveyard headstones will see my ageratum and know that this person is not forgotten.

Ageratum is a tender flower. Early frost or lack of moisture will damage it. I try to keep it watered, and when fall evenings grow chilly, I cover the ageratum so that I can enjoy its unique color a few days longer.

Ageratum on eBay