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Pick two or three seeds to see how they grow, side by side: sprouting, spacing, sun, water, frost and pet safety in one table.

Comparing Globe Gilia vs. Blazing Star vs. Ageratum

The comparison

Globe Gilia vs. Blazing Star vs. Ageratum

Units
Growing facts for Globe Gilia, Blazing Star and Ageratum, side by side
Fact
Globe GiliaGilia capitata
Blazing StarLiatris spicata
AgeratumAgeratum houstonianum
DifficultyEasyModerateEasy
Life cycleAnnualPerennialAnnual
Germination timeNot yet verified20–45 days7–21 days
Germination temperatureNot yet verifiedNot yet verified24–27 °C75–81 °F
Sowing depthNot yet verifiedNot yet verifiedOn the surface
Spacing between plantsNot yet verified30–38 cm12–15 inNot yet verified
SunFull sunFull sun, partial shadeFull sun, partial shade
WaterLowNot yet verifiedModerate
ContainersNot yet verifiedNot yet verifiedYes
Frost toleranceHardyHardyTender (no frost)
Links
How to grow globe giliaRemove globe gilia
How to grow blazing starRemove blazing star
How to grow ageratumRemove ageratum

Up close

Meet the seeds

What each one is, in a few lines, with the full growing guide one click away.

  • Globe Gilia flower head with lavender-blue blooms and blue-tipped stamens on a dark backgroundFlowers

    Globe Gilia

    Gilia capitata

    Difficulty: Easy

    Globe Gilia is an easy annual with blue, globe-shaped flower heads. It grows best in full sun and dry, well-drained soil, and it attracts bees and butterflies.

    How to grow globe gilia
  • Blazing star plants with dense purple flower spikes growing in a garden bed among green foliageFlowers

    Blazing Star

    Liatris spicata

    Difficulty: Moderate

    Blazing star (Liatris spicata) is a hardy native perennial with spikes of purple, pink or white flowers. It grows from seed in full sun but may take two or three years to bloom.

    How to grow blazing star
  • Ageratum fluffy lavender flower clusters on green stems with broad leavesFlowers

    Ageratum

    Ageratum houstonianum

    Difficulty: EasyGrows in pots

    Ageratum is a frost-tender annual with fluffy blue, pink or white flower clusters that is usually started from seed indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost.

    How to grow ageratum

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The table, row by row

How to read a comparison

Every row is a fact from each seed's own profile, lined up so the differences stand out.

  1. Sprouting

    Germination time and temperature

    How many days the seeds take to sprout, and the temperature range they sprout in.

  2. Sowing

    Sowing depth and spacing

    How deep to sow each seed and how far apart the plants should grow. “On the surface” means the seed isn't covered.

  3. Timing

    Days to maturity and life cycle

    How long until the plant is ready, counted from sowing or from transplanting (each value says which). Annuals live one year, biennials two, perennials longer.

  4. Light and water

    Sun and water

    Full sun means 6 or more hours of direct sun a day, partial shade a few hours. Water needs are rated low, moderate or high.

  5. Space and weather

    Containers, frost tolerance and soil pH

    Whether it grows in a pot, with the smallest pot when it's known. Frost tolerance runs from tender (no frost) to hardy. Soil pH 7 is neutral.

  6. Pets

    Toxicity to cats and dogs

    Whether the plant is toxic to cats and dogs.

Quick wins

Fastest to sprout

Days from sowing until the first shoots appear, in good conditions.

Pet friendly

Safe around cats and dogs

Listed as non-toxic to both cats and dogs. Each seed's page has the details.

Not safe for pets: borage, buckwheat, caraway, carnation and 14 more.

Comparing

Questions about comparing

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Where do the facts come from?
From each seed's profile. Every fact there is researched and reviewed by our editors before it goes live.
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Each seed's page explains how to grow it from seed, with facts researched and reviewed by our editors.

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