Al
Agastache barberi 'Tutti Frutti' is a borderline perennial in zone 6 and perennial in zone 7 and higher BUT it needs extremely well drained soil to thrive. It also needs to be planted very early in the season to become well established. They don't like excessive watering or standing water. The first year I planted this was in Sept. and I lost it as it didn't have enough time to become established (3 months in cooler climates) This year I grew mine from seed and it has been blooming for several months even through our first snow fall. I have heavy clay soil so I have to amend it with compost, sand and pea gravel to increase the drainage.

Penny

Hey Penny Im sure youve already seen this , but here is a really detailed article from the GW site about growing from seed and I have it saved for my own referal. Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: growing from seed

Steve
SInce a lot of my hardier plants are grown using the wintersowing method some of the info in the article doesn't apply....You don't need to nick or soak the seed but you can if you want to take the extra measure. Any good potting soil will work (ProMix or Mirackel Gro or Schultz are the best. You don't need to worry about fungus or damp off disease with winter sowing. You don't need any kind of heat mat or grow lights since the seeds are in containers outside all winter. It is a good article for those that sow their seeds inside.

Penny

No, I did not do the soak or nick method, since Im growing inside under heat and light, I hoped I wouldnt need to. The article gives good info. I almost forgot , Im using the miracle gro enriched soil that I already had for my violets, hoping that will work---we shall see

Steve
You don't need to nick or soak salvia seeds or agastaches either for that matter. Only the larger seeds with a tough seed coat need to be stratified such as cannas, and some other larger seeds with a tough seed coat. Miracle gro will be fine. That is what I usually use.

Penny