Texas Gardners - Can you help me find a Texas Ageratum ?

I saw this at a garden show and am in love (doesn't take much when it comes to plants - LOL) ..... I google'd and found only one place Plants Delight for 11.00 which isn't to bad until you add the min 10.00 S&H. Any ideas where to find it for a more reasonable grand total....?

Thanks so much ......

Eupatorium greggii/Texas ageratum/Tropical Joe Pye - blue-violet flowers

I just asked my neighbor about two hours ago what the blue flower in his gardens was. He said it was "Padre Island Floss Flower, aka ageratum". Is that what you are looking for? It has ageratum blue flowers, about knee high.

Taken from a site that sells them

This amazing Texas native should be grown in every garden from Zone 7 south, and in containers from Zone 7 north. Resembling a rhizomatous perennial ageratum, this great native begins to flower in September and continues into December. The 3' wide slowly spreading mound of cutleaf light green foliage is literally smothered in fall with delightful 2" clusters of airy blue-violet flowers (RHS 92A). We would not be without this great native perennial in the fall garden

Off the top of my head, methinks there is an "ageratum houstonensis". It is growable from seed.

In one book on Texas natives, Native Texas Plants, by Sally and Andy Wasowski, under the listing for Eupatorium coelestinum, they also mention E. greggii as "palmleaf eupatorium"....

I have several of these growing in my yard. I will be able to buy them as small transplants at my local favorite nursery (pretty cheap last year), but they haven't arrived yet. They grow very fast. I will let you know when they do and will be happy to make a purchase for you and then send them to you or if I have any babies spring up I will send you some. I haven't noticed any so for. I could also try to start some from cuttings. I photographed the seeds, but I don't think I saved any.The plants are putting on new growth now that the weather has warmed up. It is also known as Gregg's Mist Flower (Gregg's Mistflower).

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/53449/index.html

Thanks htop..... so far I've only found one place Plant Delights nursery for 11.00 which wouldn't be so bad but they have a minimum 10.00 S&H and 21.00 for a plant is a little steep for me especially if it dies on me.....

It sounds like people are talking about a couple of different plants. Is this the plant you're asking about?
I found it at this site:
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/shop/prod.html?sku=50340

Siggy

The one I saw at the garden show said Tropical Joe Pye and it was blue-violet not pink..... I found no reference at all for a Tropical Joe Pye so I backed out to just Joe Pye and came up with the Eupatorium greggii/Texas ageratum info. The picture from Plant Delights Nursery looks more blue-violet, the High Country looked pink to me - of course that could just depend on the picture.......

I think the color is a little off in the above photo from High Country. Blue-violets and purples are difficult to capture sometimes especially in bright light and especially with a digital camera. This is probably the same plant.

Htop, it's called the "ageratum effect" because ageratum blue is supposed to be the most difficult color to capture with a camera.

In the book I quoted above, the author mentioned that pictures don't come out true to color (they come out pink). I'm also going to call Arbor Gate, I know I've seen something there called Joe Pye weed, but it wasn't in bloom when I saw it. (Can Joe Pye get around enough to have both a flower and a weed named after him?) lol

I don't know maggiemoo, but I've found myself taking a fancy to him (LOL) .....

Siggy, I ordered the High Country catalogue - the shipping there is cheaper..... I better go check Garden Watchdog too...

Well, I just checked with Arbor Gate. They don't have it (it doesn't do well around here because we get soo much rain and humidity.) Now you've made me take a fancy to him, too!

Calalilly, I took many a photo and had to adjust the colors in my graphics program to try to capture the true color of the blooms.

I know what you mean Htop, I take pictures over and over trying to capture the blue or purple colors. Sometimes I just give up!

It's very frustrating, when so many of the truly lovely flowers are the blue to purple colors! I generally give up, too.

I have a plant that looks alot like what you are talking about. I bought it at the local Botanical Gardens sale several years ago. It was called Blue Mist Flower, and had something like Eupatorium...Pye... in the name too. It grows like crazy! I give it away right and left. The Monarch and Amer. Beauty Butterflies LOVE IT! They are so drawn to it, i'll find 20-30 on it, and they let me sit amongst them while they feed. I don't find a scent to them, but the butterflies love them.

I will have to look and see if I have a picture of it. I am learning from Frostweed, to take closeup pix of my individual plants, as up to now, I have just taken pix of the overall landscape. Live and learn.

mel

Now that vs71099 has made me fall in love with this plant (gee, thanks a lot, vs71099) I want to tryt it! Maybe I can pick one up while in the Hill Country for the Roundup.

I know what you mean! Now I really want one too.

Siggy

Sorry guys - Joe's become quite the popular fella....... maybe TXMel can help us get a lead on him.....

TXMel, I think your Blue Mist Flower is probably this plant. I have seen it called that.
Calalilly and Maggiemoo, I have given up on many purple and burgandy blooms I have given up on too when I was unable to adjust the colors in my graphics program without distorting the rest of the photo. If the color isn't correct, I don't post them so I don't confuse people about how the bloom really looks. I have some nice photos of plants with red blooms, but most of my photos with reds do not upload correctly in the PlantFiles for some reason.

If people want some of these, I think that they will be available at my favorite local nursery about the middle of April. If they are, I can buy some amd bring them to the RoundUp in Kerrville.

Oooo! Thanks htop! I'm not going to be able to spend the time I'd hoped in San Antonio for my 2nd annual wildflower hunt, but if I am able to squeeze even a day over there, maybe we can meet? (It would be before the RoundUp.)

I'm sorry, I'm either confused or I missed something (I have to skim sometimes). Is the search for Ageratum or Eupatorium? They're different plants. I have the Blue Mist Flower, which I got from Mel. I have been trying to get my Joe Pye Weed, which is totally different, going for a few years now. It has pink/rose colored blooms. I also bought some of these annuals at Wal-Mart that they carry every year, and they look like the pics of the Ageratum. Now I'm really confused. lol

It seems to be the names that is confusing me. The blue flower I got from Mel is actually the Eupatorium greggii, which is the Gregg's Mist Flower. The Eupatorium purpureum is my Joe Pye Weed. I think maybe the little annuals I got from WM are actually the Ageratum, which are Floss Flowers, and the Blue Mist Flower is actually my other plant, Caryopteris.

This message was edited Mar 22, 2005 9:50 AM

Ok.... all I know is the one at the show was tall - like a joe pye with little blue violet puffs. You know how it is with love at first sight.... LOL I didn't think to get all the details....... I did take a pic which I need to get developed and hopefully I can add it to this discussion......

Here's part of the confusion. The plant with the Latin name Eupatorium coelestinum, has the common name "Wild Ageratum", or "Mist Flower". Joe Pye weed is a totally different plant. The Eupatorium greggii apparently also has a number of different common names, with "Ageratum" somewhere in the mix. Can we get any more confused? :-)

AND 2 of these plants have the same purply fuzzy looking flowers!! LOL Oh well, we're bound to figure it out by talking thru it.

This is the Blue Mistflower that I have. See the picture with the Monarch on it near the bottom of the pix. I have a bazillion of them, and everyone is welcome to as many as they can dig! I love any flower that is blue or close to blue! I love butterflies too, and they surely love this one!

You will also see that it is called Hardy Ageratum. It can be so confusing, I am starting to learn more latin, whether I want to or not! LOL

Hardy Ageratum, Blue Mistflower / Conoclinium coelestinum

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/625/index.html

OK. Since ya'll have fallen for this one, do you have Blue Bog Sage too? I got it the same year. It grows like crazy, and blooms most of the summer!

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1152/index.html

Bog Sage (Salvia uliginosa)

Family: Lamiaceae (lay-mee-AY-see-ee) (Info)
Genus: Salvia (SAL-vee-uh) (Info)
Species: uliginosa (ew-li-gi-NO-suh) (Info)

Its not a Texas native but, I have a spot picked out for this plant if I can find some!

John

Maggiemoo, let me know if you be in San Antonio. It would be fun to meet.

I am trying to sort out the differences between these plants.

Conoclinium coelestinum (previously named Eupatorium coelestinum),in Texas, mainly grows in the wild in East Texas. The lance-shaped heavily veined leaves are toothed and are not hairy. The stems are round and pubescent (sometimes can be purplish in color). Blooms can be pink, lavender or blue-violet and have no scent. It is not drought tolerant and likes moist soil. They are between 1 and about 2.5 feet tall.

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/mbierner/bio406d/images/pics/ast/conoclinium_coelestinum.htm
http://www.usn.org/wetlands/plantguide/images/mistflowerLarge.jpg
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesSH.asp?curGroupID=11&shapeID=1134&curPageNum=73&recnum=WF1891
http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H242.htm

Eupatorium greggii (Syn: Conoclinium greggii) leaves are different (cutleaf, not toothed) as shown here.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/03668.html
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Asteraceae/Eupatorium_greggii.html
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/tamuflora/6-comeupgrebm18.gif
They are 18-24 inches tall and supposeedly likes moderate water, but I give mine plenty.

Joe-Pye Weeds (Eupatoriadelphus spp.) have colorful flowers, but they are taller plants with whorled leaves.
Eupatorium purpureum 'Little Red' (Dwarf Joe Pye) is 4 feet tall and the blooms are different.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/05363.html

The ageratums (flossflowers) are annuals; but, because the blooms are so similar, the mistflowers are sometimes called wild ageratums or perennial ageratums.

The leaves on mine are inbetween the Gregg's and the Conoclinium coelestinum! Now I'll have to search some more! Maybe its because they are the first leaves coming out???

Thanks for compiling and sharing that info, htop!

John

I had some in a flower pot on my porch and seeds fell into my Canna beds below the front porch and now it comes up on its own. Will be glad to save seeds if it does the same thing this summer. Txsdar

VS71099, I think I have several new plants coming up around my plants which are sprouting new leaves very rapidly. I will happly send you a couple when they become larger. Send me an email with your name and address if you want them.

I will pot up any others that come up and take to the Kerrville Roundup.

John, you are quite welcome. I am still researching because my plants leaves don't really look exactly like any of them

TXMel, the Blue Bog Sage is a great looking plant. I have never seen one before. Thanks for sharing it with us.

This message was edited Mar 23, 2005 4:47 AM

I'd love some htop.... my address is on file ...... anything you're interested in for trade, otherwise I'll gladly send back postage.......

Okie Dokie. It will be awhile before they will be ready to send. I'll email you to inform you that I am sending them.

Alas, Joe and I may meet after all ..... : - )


I'll wait to hear from you.... thanks so much htop .......