I just looked up agastache rupestris, which is a plant I hoped to use and High Country Gardens lists it as hardy to zone 5 and Dave's Garden lists it as hardy to zone 4a. I am in zone 6a, so I am hoping that will allow me to grow it. Perhaps growing it on a hill or a raised bed in zone 5 might help?

pm2

'Golden Jubilee' and other Agastache foeniculum cultivars are hardy through all zone 4 and reseed abundantly here.

Should have added in my previous post, that the western Agastaches won't establish in zone 6 and under in fall plantings. Wait until spring.

I have A. 'Apache Sunset' which I got from Bluestone in the fall of '06. (I had ordered it for spring, but it was backordered and arrived in the fall, much to my dismay.) I planted it part way down a western-facing steeply cut bank after seeing wildflowers in CO growing that way and knowing that winter wet would be an enemy. It survived that first winter and bloomed well this summer despite its poor start, and I'm hoping that this coming growing season it will continue to grow and expand.

First off, I'd like to say that I'm a little new to using this, so I was wondering if someone could explain to me how the plant exchange network works for this website. I'd really like to share plants with people, but I'm not sure how.

I think that some of the important things to consider when growing any plant is what temperature it is cold hardy to. If it says it's hardy to zone 5, that could mean that it's hardy to a number of different temperatures such as 20 below, 15 below, 10 below, etc. I live in northern Illinois, and during the winters here it normally doesn't get below negative 20. You could also try mulching the plant, or planting it in a protected site, such as along the house or something. I also try to pile up snow around my plants when we have some (though usually it snows enough that I don't even have to pile it up!)

Anyway, on another note, I personally haven't grown agastache YET, but I have a list of cultivars that I'm looking for and if anyone has cuttings of these I am VERY interested. I know that it's winter now and cuttings can't be taken, but I thought I'd post the message early just so people know I'm looking. I can wait until spring. This is actually all part of a special garden I'm designing just for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Ok, having said all this, the cultivars I am looking for include:
Agastache 'Orange Flare'
Agastache cana 'Rosita'
Agastache rupestris (no specific cultivar)
Agastache neomexicana
Agastache cana 'Purple Pygmy'

If you'd like to see images of the plants listed above, just type it in under google images and you'll get tons of results. I didn't list images because I thought it would take up too much space.

If anybody else has any ideas for colorful and fragrant agastaches or other nectar plants for hummers and butterflies, please let me know. But just perennials, because I hate having to replant every year. :-:

Welcome aboard, perennialfan! Signed up today I see, you are brand new! Your zeal for plants comes through lound and clear.

Sorry I can't help you with your quest. You will learn a lot here, not only about plants, but how best to ask your questions . . . like, since your post has nothing to do with this thread topic (Agastaches for Colder zones), it is best to start your own new thread from the forum page. (This is the individual thread or topic page.) Or even better, to search for a thread that has the same topic. Or to post on a different forum if it suits better, perhaps the Plant Exchange forum if you want to trade. There is even a Test Forum for you to try out your posts to see if they work, and no one will care because it's a test!

Some good places to start would be the Using the Forums Page and the instructions

Rick

I grow several of the western Agastaches that you mention, but although the hummers like them, I don't think they're especially interesting to the butterflies.

Leftwood, I don't know what you're talking about when you say: "since your post has nothing to do with this thread topic". The reason I posted here was because I live in a colder zone and I was wondering what everyone thought about me growing those agastaches in my zone. You also mentioned making your own forum. Every time I go to the instructions page, I always get an error message saying: "Page Not Found", so I don't know how to make my own forum.

Hi, Perennialfan! I am also a zone 5, but I just planted my first Agastaches this past summer, so I'm afraid I can't comment on how hardy they are yet.

I think maybe Leftwood thought you were simply looking to make a plant exchange. On the main Gardenweb page, that lists all of the gardening forums, there are plant and seed exchange forums (Exchanges & Trades), where you can list what you are looking for, or what you have to offer for trades.

To "start a thread" on a new topic, just go to the main Perennials Forum page, and scan down to the bottom, where it says "Post a Message to this Forum". There you type in the subject, and then write your message, just like you do when you are posting a "Follow-Up". Then click Preview, make any corrects, then hit Submit. When you return to the main Perennials Forum page, you should see your "Subject of Posting" listed at the top.

Hope this helps,
Bonnie

Hi! Nice to have a new garden webber perennialfan273!
Yeah, I think Leftwood just thought that you might have posted on the wrong forum, and was only trying to steer you right. Where were you when I first came on Garden Web and was having so much trouble Leftwood? :)
Your qestions not really out of place here, I posted the inital question so that others from colder zones could share their experiences with certain Agastaches, both cultivars and species. Never feel silly for asking a question! Were all here for the purpose, learning and sharing info about our shared intrest, gardening!
Since Im here I might as well comment on my Agastache cana. I really love this one! It looked a little scraggly last spring, but quickly doubled in size come summer. The hummers (hummingbirds I mean, not the vehicle sort, lol!) coudnt keep away from it. I read somewhere that A. cana was also called a 'bubble gum hyssop', because the leaves smelled like bubble-gum. Does anyone else think it does? To me it just smells like anice. Is there an anice bubble gum? That sounds really nasty if there is. Lol.
CMK

Hi christinmk!

I'm just following up with the post I put earlier. Honestly, I did want some agastache plants, but I also just felt like chatting about it, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. If you guys have or know anyone who has any of the cultivars listed above, I'll trade for 'em. I just thought I'd bring them up while I'm chatting here, that's all.

Anyway, on another note, I can't believe that 'Coronado' didn't make it for you. Did you water it during the winter? Some people just assume that their plants don't have to be watered during the winter, but that simply isn't true. Sure, it's not absolutely necessary to do so, but some plants could use an extra boost during the winter. Either way, it said that it's hardy to zone 4, and you're in zone 5, so it should be hardy where you live. Hardiness is always so confusing :-\.

Also, on one final note. I think I mentioned above that the garden I was planning was for hummers and butterflies. There are two butterflies in particular that I want to attract. I'd really like to see some luna moths and some swallowtails (all species). Do you guys know any host plants and nectar plants for these butterflies (especially the luna moths)??

Good Luck with your agastaches!

The problem with overwintering the western (dryland)Agastaches is that they want it very dry during the winter. Moisture during the dormant period is the kiss of death. Leaving the stems uncut through the winter is very important, since cut stems tend to carry moisture into the crown which will kill it (same treatment for Gaura). It is also important not to mulch close the the crown because that holds water. If your soil is heavy, planting on a mound may help, and putting some gravel in soil around the plant may also help.

NONE of this is necessary for A. foeniculum and cultivars.

Hello everyone,
Looks like you all have done a good job cleaning up my mess. There is nothing wrong with your post, Perennialfan, I only thought you could get a much better response for your plant requisition inquiry elsewhere. Since you are so new, I wrongly assumed you thought this was the best forum to that end.

I have to agree, "nothing to do with ..." was harsh, and unduly focused on the latter part of your post. I really didn't mean it that way. My apologies, and again, WELCOME!

Rick

P.S. I found the "Page not found" link that you were talking about. I will report it to the webmaster. That link should be the same as the "instructions" link I posted previously, which does work. Highalttransplant explained well what I meant about "starting your own new thread from the forum page".

Hi guys! I thought id just check in on things. This year my 'Coronado' is doing well. Its only a few inches over a foot tall (and somehow I doubt it will ever get much bigger), but its blooming like mad! I didnt cut the stems back, like lacyveil suggested, so maybe that had something to do with it.
My A. 'Golden Jubilee' is doing wonderfully, as always.
My Agastache cana is no where as large as last year. We had a strange winter, so maybe that had something to do with it. Ive hear that this Agastache can be only marginaly hardy here. I think I also forgot to give it a good mulching for winter too. I hope it does better next year.
A few months ago I bought a start of 'Apricot Sprite'. Its doing really well, dispite being moved twice. Im crossing my fingers and hoping for good luck with this one, as it is very pretty! The orange color is much more intence than 'Coronado'.
Ps. I just found out that the plant I called Agastache officinalis 'Dwarf Blue' is actually called Hyssopus officinalis. So I suppose its a 'true' hyssop.
How are yours doing? Have you found any more good and reliable ones since last time?
CMK

Well, I am pleased to say that both of my Agastache 'Apache Sunset' plants made it through our cold and snowy winter just fine! I was so happy, that I went out and bought 3 more, LOL! All three of the new ones, bought in June, are already blooming. The older two are much wider this year, and between 3 and 3 1/2 feet tall.

{{gwi:273750}}

The one in the photo above is in an herb bed, and there is an ant nest (?) nearby, on my neighbors property. The ants are all over the blooms. Do they just eat the nectar, or the whole bloom? It does look like some of the blooms are missing. They drive me crazy! Every time I try to weed that bed, they are crawling all over my legs. At least they aren't fire ants though.

Bonnie

Those are really nice Bonny! They look a lot like 'Apricot Sprite'. Im not sure I could tell the differance...yours have a nice bluish stem though, and a duskier orange color.
You might try foaming wasp killer for those ants. I used it last year (I had nothing else) and it worked really quickly...
CMK

I have had good luck with agastache rupestris (unknown cultivar) taht I started from seed via wintersowign, and have hundreds of volunteer seedlings each year as well as overwintered plants of agastache foeniculum, both blue and white.