I am interested in your salvia. Extras that I can trade: Hardy ferns Hardy begonia Hosta albomarginata Salvia Leucantha Rain lilies Red hot poker Variegated liriope Cannas - 2 varieties Lycoris radiata Nandina - assorted sizes Cornus florida

Hey, Irma, the other yellow plant that hummers like is "Yellow Bells" or Tacoma Stans. It is a small tree with yellow flowers that blooms repeatedly in cycles. It should do well in your area. It might freeze some on top with a hard freeze, but it should come back in the spring. Black and Blue is a tried and true salvia that works well for hummers, although I have had better success with Amistad. I did not have much success with Vermillionaire. It grew for a while and then died off. I have had much better success with Cuphea Schumannii. It blooms repeatedly, is very hardy and the hummers really like it. It is a bit of a thug, however. It has come up in many places on my property.

Steve: Agastache barberi x mexicana `Toronjil Morado' is the parentage of A. `Tutti Frutti'. I made the cross under Gro Lites way back in the early 80s. Like all Agastaches, it is not only fertile, but promiscuous, and will cross with other members of the genus. A. barberi contributes hardiness (more of a subalpine plant), and A. mexicana contributes tolerance to humidity, since it is subtropical. It won't matter if it is the only Agastache in your garden, either. Its seeds will not come true, since they will be F2 progeny, and will range in both directions from the parents, which are rather similar in form. It would take a trained botanist to tell them apart. So if you are offering seed please mark them as Agastache x `Tutti Frutti' to indicate that they are not the same as the parent. It is really easy to ignore the "x" in the labelling. If anyone allows self-sowing or deliberately sets out a bunch of seedlings for trialling, then selects a champion plant, please give it a new name, and let me know where it came from, so I can keep the names straight when asked. I really appreciate everyone's efforts to keep the provenance of various Agastache sports straight.

Ann, I don't exactly know how to send them or how they will arrive. I have a lot of babies, as this plant must love where it's setting and is spreading big time. After seeing your message, I went out and cut out a little guy and put him in a little pot with garden soil. He looks good this morning, not drooped over. He's probably the smallest baby as they've been up for some time now and most are probably 8 to 10 inches tall. I'd hate for you to cancel your order, then have mine arrive half or totally dead. But I'm game to try and send some if you'd like. Since it would be a learning experience for me, how about me trying to send you some and I pay for the shipping. This way, you'd be out nothing if they don't make it due to my ignorance. The only thing is, if you cancel your order and mine aren't good, you'd be later yet in getting them started in your garden. Bear in mind, they are still growing in the garden, except for the one I potted up yesterday afternoon, just to see how he'd hold up being dug up and set out in a little pot. They'd all have to be dug up and put in something before sending. Is there anyone following this thread that might suggest how to prepare freshly dug babies for shipping? Mary