Hello, I would like to add Agastache to hopefully increase the number of humming Birds that visit my home. We have had one pair the past three years and would be great to have a few more. I would like to know what Agastache are perennial for Zone 5b or would self sow in my Zone. We get little or no snow cover, multiple freeze thaws, I do have good draining soil and hot summers. I do use cedar bark for mulch to help keep moisture during summer. I plan on growing from seed, so would also appreciate suggestions on were to purchase, I have looked at swallowtail and they seem to have a good selection. Thanks you, Gale

I am a big fan of agastaches too, and I think people are aware from the above discussion that there are the blue/lavendar agastaches, A. foeniculum and A. rugosa, and then there are a are the various species and hybrids in the pink-apricot-orange range. Both are very useful for me in the garden. In the first group, Blue Fortune is a wonderful long bloomer which grows almost anywhere, blooms for 2 solid months in July and August. There is a relatively newer plant called 'Black Adder' (from this same cross) that has more saturated purplish flowers, and in the few settings I have seen it, looked like an even better plant than 'Blue Fortune (at least if you tend to like more saturated darker colors --I do.....). There is also a brand new plant from this group called 'Purple Haze' which by pictures looks wonderful and is said to be the best of this group. It looks like the 'Heather Queen' above. You can buy it for a small fortune from WFF or wait till it becomes more available. This is just appearing at some of the larger wholesalers so should be much more widely available in a year or two. I think that one of the problems with some plants labelled Blue Fortune is that they may be inferior seedlings from the cross above. I had bad luck overwintering Tutti Frutti (lost 2 plants even in gravel garden with good drainage) but great luck with A. cana, A. rupestris, A. 'Ava' and I think a few others whose names I don't recall. Pay attention to the comments above regarding overwintering. All these are fully hardy in z5 if protected from winter wet. I don't cut any of mine back till spring. A. rupestris is an easy beautiful shrubby plant with attractive silvery foliage even when not in bloom. There are many available from High Country Gardens as stated above. Be careful -- they are addictive and like ordering candy from a candy shop. Once you figure them out, you just want more. And if you love hummingbirds in the garden, and you have other hummer plants, you will want lots of agastaches.

I dont think it matters, the butterflies/hummingbirds will be able to get at the nectar either way. BTW, if you plan on keeping these plants as perennials make sure they have well drained soil. Although the agastache's are listed as very hardy plants they will not be if the soil is wet especially in the winter. Either elevate the bed or add some sand to the soil. Also, I never had a problem with butterflies scaring my hummingbirds. In fact, I find hummingbirds to be quite bold. I have seen them chase doves from my yard.

Did the temperatures drop and freeze recently? Early spring can be hard on some plants. Native perennials like bee balm, goldenrod, black-eyed susans, and coneflowers would be unfazed by most spring temperature fluctuations but perhaps the hyssop took it harder. FataMorgana