Ageratum houstonianum Blue Mink - Bluemink

Ageratum houstonianum Blue Mink, also known as the Mexican paintbrush, is an old variety that continues to be popular: on compact and bushy plants with dark blue-green foliage, fluffy pompom-like inflorescences in a soft and bright powdery blue bloom. Its wide and dense habit, long flowering period, and easy cultivation make it an ideal annual for structuring borders, pots, and the foreground of flower beds. It should be grown in full sun and in moist soil.

Ageratum Blue Mink is an old variety derived from Ageratum houstonianum, a perennial plant cultivated as an annual in the family Asteraceae, native to Central America and the Caribbean. It forms rounded and bushy masses about 30 cm (12in) in all directions. Its numerous, branched, and hairy stems stand upright while gracefully spreading. The leaves, also hairy, are dentate and ovate in shape. Sometimes, they are heart-shaped at the base, with a somewhat dark blue-green colour. From April until early autumn, the flowers bloom continuously if faded flowers are removed regularly. The inflorescences are pastel blue, both soft and bright, grouped in clusters of pompoms, almost completely hiding the foliage.

Mexican Ageratums are often planted in urban landscaping. Their abundant flowers and vibrant colours allow for interesting combinations with many other low-growing plants in flower beds, such as marigolds, calendulas, or red salvias. It is easy to create a pastel carpet by combining them with pink begonias and impatiens, or fragrant alyssums in the foreground of flower beds. The Blue Mink selection allows for beautiful flowering pots with fuchsias, indoors, on the patio, or balcony.

The Mexican paintbrush is a plant that promotes insect pollination. Bees, butterflies, and others.