I like to include short ageratums in the front rows of my flower borders. The plants are tidy and compact and other than needing the occasional deadheading, they are very easy to care for. As a bonus, the bugs and bunnies leave them alone.
This year I’m trying a new cultivar called ‘Aloha Blue’. It grows 5 to 6 inches tall with a 4-inch spread. Some of the small ageratum cultivars have a bluish tinge to the flowers, but ‘Aloha Blue’ leans more toward the lavender/purple side of the spectrum.
‘Aloha Blue’ was one of the first of my homegrown annuals to begin blooming this year after enduring our cold, wet spring and early summer.
‘Aloha Blue’ is hardy in Zones 3-9 and grows well in full sun to part-shade. The plants will bloom all summer long if you clip off the spent flowers.