“Ageratum Houstonianum”, better known as the Floss flower plant belongs to the “Asteraceae” family or the Daisy family. They are annual flowering plants. The floss flower bears soft fluffy flowers, with several small flowers close to each other forming beautiful bunches. They come in dwarf varieties as well as tall varieties. Some varieties of the floss flower plant are used for decorative purposes and are grown in pots and kept as indoor plants. The floss flower plant is also widely used as edges as they add greatly to the beauty of the flowerbeds and to the garden as a whole.
The floss flower plant flowers during summer. The floss flower comes in colours ranging from blue, mauve pink and white. The flowers have an attractive fragrance. The floss flower plant grows to a height ranging from 15 to 60 cm. The seeds for the plant are obtained from the flower in fact, each flower is a rich source of seeds.
The seeds usually take a month to germinate. A distance of 6” must be maintained between plants in case of the short varieties and the advisable distance in case of the taller varieties is about 12” in order to ensure healthy plants that bear attractive flowers.
The soil must be kept well drained, moist, rich and fertile. Providing fertilizers occasionally ensures healthy and good-looking plants bearing beautiful flowers. Warm conditions are ideal for the floss flower plant. It is advisable to keep the plant trimmed and cut off all the spent flowers.