Although the liver balm with its white, blue or purple flowers is attractive and easy to care for, it is not particularly suitable for a garden where children play. Because unfortunately the Ageratum houstonianum, so the botanical name, is poisonous.
All varieties of liver balm are poisonous
This toxicity applies to all parts of the liver balm, i.e. leaves, stems, roots and flowers. The liver balm can also become a danger for your pets if they nibble on the plant. However, you can also take advantage of a property of the leaves. They contain a hormone that makes the larvae that eat them sterile. In this way you inhibit the reproduction of these pests.
The essentials in brief:
- poisonous, also for animals
- all parts of the plant
- Leaf feeding leads to infertility in larvae
- not suitable for family gardens
tips
Due to its toxicity, liver balm is not well suited for the family garden, but it is suitable for controlling some pests in the perennial garden.