I absolutely love Hummingbird mints (Agastaches) but not always sucessfull. Afew years ago I ordered a batch of them from High Country Gardens and planted them on top of a hilly area. They died out over the next few years. Decided I needed a better spot but wasn't ready. Then three years ago I planted a nice stand of DESERT SUNRISE in a garden atop a retaining wall between the daylily section and the roses section. They are doing wonderfully. Bloom like crazy and no problems.
So last year I did a new garden section with terrace walls and planted ROSITA and 'Acapulco Salmon & Pink'. I gooffed and mulched them heavily last fall. Opps. They do not like wet roots. Was just looking and they all look dead from winter.
Oh well, I have another section in the front yard done and just ordered from High Country Gardens again. Will replace the ones in the backyard and keep the winter mulch away from them and put more in along the front walk.
Ordering Agastache again
Which ones did you order? Do you have photos?
I have started some from seed this year (hopeful)
I planted some in 07 but discovered they were not hardy here. Last year I tried a couple suppose to be hardy , looks like one of them is coming back.
I wasn't sure what you were talking about so I did a Google search. NEAT STUFF!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/rd/how-to-grow-agastaches0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-grow-agastaches.htm&usg=__m5Bp4Pcoqsb3u3QuxjvoFP-kQ1s=&h=300&w=300&sz=25&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=ackpPaAQKw_K6M:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAgastaches%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
I bought ROSITA and 'Acapulco Salmon & Pink' again and then I also bought- 'Acapulco Orange' and 'Orange Flare' and 'Ava' and also
Agastache neomexicana.
I had to look some of those up ,what a beautiful display you will have .
Please post some photos when they bloom.
Did you look at High Country Gardens? That is where I got mine. If you put Agastache in their little search box all of the hummingbird mints will come up.
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
There are just some plants that I really like and the hummer attracting Agastaches are like that for me. If they were not so difficult, I would have lots and lots of them. As it is, I will just keep trying until I get it right. I think this time I will be able to get the new ones to stick. I just have a good fealing about it. And if I am wrong, I will just buy more.
By the way are you aware there is an agastache and salvia forum. I have seen some beautiful plants over there. One person even has a web sight for salvias that will make you drool ^_^
Have you noticed that High Country Gardens tell you what type of soil the plants like? Some of them really need lean/poor soil, while others need richer soil with more moisture. You may have better luck with plants that require richer soil - I am assuming that you have probably been amending your soil over the years. I think even one year of amending makes a difference. I have only had my house three years, and most of the beds are new, but there is a real difference between the beds begun last year, and new ones that I am starting now.
I am excited because I started sunset agastache, cana agastache, and coral nymph from seed this spring. I can't wait to see them in the garden.
This message was edited Apr 3, 2009 4:58 PM
I have gardens. My soil is good because I use alot of compost. Compost holds lots of water and that is not what the agastaches want. Thats why its difficult in my garden to find really good places for them. I have found that dirrectly at the tops of teraced retaining walls is good.
Years ago I tried all sorts of plants from High Country gardens including agastache, various salvias (all turned out to be annuals and not winter hardy here), hedgenettle, Zauschnerias and Penstemons. All the plants died out over afew years. I have gardened and grown plants and flowers my entire life but I did not have much luck with high dessert plants. A shame really as I really loved them all. I just might try some of them again.
Hey, I didn't know there was a salvia and agastache forum. Will go look for it right now, thanks.
I usually grow some of those annual bedding red salvias here as well as some others like Blue Fortune, Lady in Red, Black and Blue (a favorite) and Indago spires. They never sell Indigo Spires around here and like Black and Blue, it does not overwinter here so some years I order it from High Country Gardens.
If you plant your agastache so the crown is about an inch higher than the ground it will help keep their feet from being so wet and they'll have a better chance of wintering over.
Thanks! Great tip and I will do that for the new ones ordered this spring.
I have only dared to try Agastache "Blue Fortune", so far. I planted it back last fall, and it is coming up, several inches tall, now. It's supposed to be a bit more tolerant of wet winters. A few days ago, we had a flash flood, and it was sitting in a pool of water (along with the Clematis "H.F. Young" and Echinecea purpurea "White Swan"), and I was freaking out! That's the first time in many years I've seen that much water in that space, but it made me realize that in "normal" rains, it may still be quite wet. I saw a suggestion to put fine gravel or coarse builder's sand around it, so I'll be trying that. I've had my eyes on High Country Garden's Agastache "Rosita" for quite some time, too, but I'll see how I fare with the "Blue Fortune", first!