Pic is of a closeup of Agastache aurantiaca 'Coronado'
July 31, 2007 12:59 pm
Marilyn
This message was edited Jan 7, 2009 11:54 PM
Agastaches!
Closeup of Agastache 'Acapulco Orange'
( Acapulco Orange Hummingbird Mint )
July 31, 2007 12:59 pm
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11835/
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The two plants together
Agastache aurantiaca 'Coronado' on the left and Agastache 'Acapulco Orange' in the foreground
Closeup of Agastache rupestris
( Licorice Mint or Sunset Hyssop )
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11825/
This message was edited Dec 30, 2008 3:29 PM
Agastache aurantiaca 'Shades of Orange'
( Shades of Orange Hummingbird Mint )
( purplish blue flowers are Salvia Victoria )
July 28, 2007
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11807/
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This message was edited Jan 7, 2009 11:54 PM
another pic of Agastache aurantiaca 'Shades of Orange'
The tall Agastache in the upper top of the pic is Agastache 'Ava'
( Ava's Hummingbird Mint )
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11821/
Agastache 'Acapulco Salmon & Pink'
( Acapulco Salmon & Pink Hummingbird Mint )
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11829/
I'll add some pics later, I just need to take a break
Marilynbeth ~ I like the Agastaches but have not found them to be terribly fragrant. Some of the foliage does smell good well rubbed. Am I wrong or was it just the ones I tried? Your photos are very pretty. They look like they do well in your zone.
I've found with mine it's the leaves that are usually fragrant (maybe the flowers are too, but they're overpowered by the leaves). Several of mine are strong enough though that you don't need to rub the leaves very hard, just brushing up against the plant is usually enough.
Very interesting. Mine were in their first year and I didn't notice much even when rubbing the foliage. We may have been too moist and that will also affect fragrance.
What kind are you growing? Most of mine are cultivars of A. aurantiaca, A. rupestris, and A. mexicana.
Just as ecrane stated, "it's the leaves.....just brushing up against the plant is usually enough.".
Here's a group of 3 pots of Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise' I decided to add to containers. It is hardy to my zone, but I wanted to pot them up. There are 5 one-gallon pots (or, were they 5 two-gallon pots?!) in the containers.
July 23, 2007 in the evening
These were at the end of our side entry driveway
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Even though the flowers may not have the fragrance of the leaves, I still consider it fragrant. I think all Agastaches are wonderful!
This is Agastache 'Blue Fortune' with Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' on the left.
July 28, 2007 in the afternoon
This message was edited Jan 7, 2009 11:55 PM
A another view (closeup) of some of the potted Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise' on the driveway.
On the right of the pic
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Agastache 'Color Spires Steel Blue'
June 2, 2008 in the evening
This message was edited Jan 7, 2009 11:56 PM
Closeup of Agastache 'Color Spires Steel Blue'
June 2, 2008 in the evening
(sorry the pic is somewhat blurry)
This message was edited Jan 7, 2009 11:56 PM
What a nice collection you have assembled. First year grower here and the ones I tried are A. firebird, A. blue fortune, A. black adder and A. raspberry summer. Firebird did not make it. Blue fortune did well for most of the summer. Then, died and the roots do not appear viable enough to return. The black adder did well and is small but established. The raspberry fortune is loving our current weather and moisture. It seemed to struggle during summer. As these are perennial, I am hoping for sturdier results next summer.
As with the scented geraniums and herbs, I have noticed when the soil moisture level is higher the foliage is not as fragrant. Perhaps these will be the same.
Photo of Agastache 'Tutti Frutti' with Agastache 'Blue Fortune' (I'm pretty sure) behind it.
July 7, 2005
Agastache 'Apricot Sprite', a shorter Agastache.
July 7, 2005
Another photo of Agastache 'Tutti Frutti' that is a little closer to show a little more of the flowers
Closeup of Agastache 'Apricot Sprite'
Marylyn,Tutti-Fruitty is a fave in my area, but quite frankly, when I see the HCG catalog, a lot of them look like TF and they don't even list TF (unless it's by another name). Even some pics you have posted look like TF to me. Can you recommend a link where I can better educate myself re: differentiating better the various cultivars?
You have a wonderful/impressive collection
In your opinion, which is the most frag?
Honestly a lot of the cultivars look similar enough that if they don't come with a plant tag you'd be hard pressed to distinguish them. So I think the best way to differentiate them is not to lose the tags :-) A lot of them have similar parentage so the flowers and leaves are very similar, and the colors are often quite close as well and when you factor in how different cameras, different lighting, and different computer screens can make colors appear different, there are going to be plenty of them that you can't accurately distinguish.
whew! ecrane, I don't feel as agastache ignoramus anymore, lol. good to know. I am so tempted to get some from HCG, but before I do that, I will hit my local nurseries later this month and Feb. and see which ones, other than TF, thrive here.
You can use the HCG website to help you figure out which ones will do well--if you go to a plant listing and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page they'll usually have some info on what parts of the country it'll do well in or at least they'll list the maximum amount of annual rainfall that they can handle and you can guess from that whether it's got a chance in your area or not.
Well said ecrane! :-)
vossner,
Thanks for the compliments!
I love to buy from High Country Gardens! I've been buying from them since Spring 2005. I buy mainly Agastaches and Salvias from them. Another place I get Agastaches and Salvias from is Lazy S'S Farm Nursery. http://www.lazyssfarm.com/index.html They're another Dave's Garden Watchdog 30 company. http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/2390/
I've been searching my photos for a HCG introduction that I really love and grow (and have grown before) but haven't found it yet. It is Agastache 'Desert Sunrise' http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11834/
Some of my Agastaches that I have grown either died (for one reason or another) or they weren't hardy in my zone 6, but that doesn't stop me in wanting, searching and growing Agastaches every year. I try to have more and more growing in my flowerbeds every year. I love seeing the Hummingbirds delight at all the Agastache flowers!
High Country Gardens is what made me addicted to Agastaches! Their online catalog is a great source of info for growing plants (Agastaches, Lavenders, Salvias, to name 3 types of plants).
I think the most fragrant Agastache is Agastache rupestris (Licorice Mint or Sunset Hyssop)
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/11825/
It is a 1997 Plant Select® winner. I have some of my pics of it on http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/926757/ It's Fragrant Gardening: What is the most fragrant flower in your plantings? thread.
Getting late here now, gotta go for now.
Marilyn
I've not had good luck with the plans from HCG. I bought in sets of threes and in a few cases I had none left after 3 months and in several cases I have only one left. The other issue is frequently, the plants don't look near as lush and vivid as in the catalog. Size may be related to age of plant but I wonder if they colorize their catalog pics? I'm thinking particularly of the http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/73050/. The onlu one I have left is thin and puny looking after a year. Because they are so far away and the plants are so very small compared to what I received from Garden Crossings, I only buy from them when I absolutely must have a plant of theirs no one else has. I continue to buy from them but if I can get it anywhere else, I do. They are very responsive to questions. Does anyone else have similar problems? It is possible the fault is mine but I don't have the same death rate from other companies.Just my 2 cents.
Maggie
Their plants are small, but I've always had good luck with them. The size is probably equivalent to what you'd get from Bluestone Perennials, but since they sell the plants one at a time instead of in a 3-pack like Bluestone you end up paying a little more. I suspect your high death rate on their plants is because many of the plants they sell are inappropriate for your climate--they specialize in plants that will do well in the high desert which unfortunately means many of them won't do well when you throw them into a wetter more humid climate. There are a few things they sell that will also do fine in areas with more rain and more humidity, but a good percentage of their plants would at best struggle along in a climate like yours, and some would not have much chance at all. If they have some things you really want, I'd put them in an area that gets excellent drainage and be really stingy on the water once they're established, that'll give them the best chance. Also if you scroll down to the bottom of the page for each plant listing, they typically list regions of the country that the plant will do well in and also how much annual rainfall they can handle--anything that's labeled xeric is probably going to have trouble in your area, as well as things that are labeled for deserts, mountain West, etc. The oregano you linked to is listed as being xeric and for the hot desert, so I'm not surprised it's struggling a bit in FL.
Eccrane,
Thanks for responding. I did choose for my area except for the oregano and that is in a mix that is faster draining and in a clay pot which I usually don't use. It is growing though- just the colors are paler. Bluestone are also small compared to Garden Crossings. GC has more mainstream plants though.
Maggie
can somebody tell me which is more frag: ruprestris or Tutti Frutti? thanks
Maggie--I'm not sure why the others haven't done well for you then--only other thing I can think of is that plants that are grown in one climate will sometimes have a bit of a rough adjustment when they're moved to another climate which is very different than what they're used to, and when you combine that with the stress they go through during shipping and then planting that will be too much for small plants sometimes. I've had similar trouble with plants coming from nurseries in FL and other areas of the southeast when I bring them into my low humidity climate, even if they're plants that grow well around here normally. Now I get around it by misting things 4-5 times a day for the first week or so that I have them and then gradually weaning them off the misting. This lets them acclimate gradually to the lack of humidity and then they're fine after that. I'm not sure how you would do that in reverse though to get things that are used to being dry into a more humid climate.
A. rupestris is definitely fragrant--I've got it in my front yard and it is very yummy. As with most (if not all) agastaches though the scent is really in the leaves not the flowers, so you really only notice it when you brush up against the plant. I've never grown Tutti Frutti (that I can remember at least) so I can't tell you if it smells better.
Ecrane,
You're right, I don'r have a dehumidifier big enough for the great outdoors. If I did, I'd have used it long before now!;-)
Maggie