Its the second year for these plants to come back here and Im amazed as both are very full and budding/blooming. Im most impressed with one in particular rupistris. I may launch a photo at a more convenient time. Looking forward to a little more sun and a little less rain.
Although last year I didnt see the hummers usage of these plants. Maybe so many others overshadowed these.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

The rupestris was the first agastache to return, and is growing very well. I lost most of the others though.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

My rupestris has been very slow to return. I dug one up yesterday and put it in a hopefully better spot with more ammended soil.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I lost all my rupestris a couple of years ago. Forunately a kind person showed up with a dozen or so, all of which are growing very happily. Cana is the hardiest one I grow and the year plus plants are just beginning to flower. None of the Agastaches seem to be the first choice of the hummingbirds, but they are pretty, moderately hardy and fill the mid summer into fall garden with color, so why not. And just as important they require no special care and deer don't eat them. August should be an interesting time when more than a hundred are flowering at once.

I have to admit the rupistris here that are doing well are in a very well amended soil as was necessary in my rather predominant clay soil and as I said before they are loving it. Ward is certainly correct that they need little attention but it does seem they like a better than average soil. Ok said I would post photo so here it is. These shots taken with night scene.

I know it looks like theres nothing else in the garden its just that this guy is so big it over shadows everything else.






Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Two more reasons to love Agastache: they smell heavenly and they are super easy from seed.

Agastache rupestris is my favorite. Agastache aurantiaca isn't hardy in zone 4, but I overwintered them in the bed that I gave the heavy-duty mulch treatment to last winter. A. aurantiaca seems to be more favored by hummers than the other Agastaches I've tried. A. cana bloomed great for me last year but doesn't seem to be as popular with the hummers, at least in my garden.

I had trouble getting Agastache to overwinter until I stopped planting them out in my beds of rich, amended soil and started putting them in my "western" beds, one of pure sand and the other with the native soil heavily amended with sand.

As much as I like them in my garden, I'm always somewhat envious when I visit my parents' house in California--the Agastaches I planted for them seem to grow twice as large and bloom even better out there.

Donald

Quote "The rupestris was the first agastache to return, and is growing very well"

Ditto Ditto for me. I had 2 Rupestris return and they are 14 inches tall I would say. Also Firebird retruned for me. Salmon & Pink was in a pot for a few years, didn't make it this time round, but I have plenty started from seed:

Salmon & Pink
Tutti Frutti
Alcapulco
Firebird

My hummers used the Agastaches alot last season. And they do smell great!





Pam NJ 6B

Yes, Agastache are almost too easy to start from seed, especially cana. It is hard to have crappy enough soil in the home garden to grow them properly, since having dry low nutrient soil goes against everything we were taught as gardeners. No more cana will be planted at Palmyra, this year seeds will be collected from the stock Pam provided. Her aurantica hybrids and rupestris get much taller than the Apricot Sprite we've been growing and should compete with the weeds better.

On an unrelated note, the non-hardy Salvia microphylla Orange Door seems to be sending up shoots finally. In 2008 we only had a few rooted cuttings and those we buried about 8 inches deep to see if extra depth would protect them from our winters. Apparently it has worked, the new sprouts from the ground don't exactly look like new seedlings although I could be wrong. This is a method that probably only works in hyper dry situations, so don't try this at home folks unless you live in a sandbox.

I forgot to mention the best of the best at Palmyra. The rupestris hybrid Desert Sunrise has been incredible. We were able to take 25 cuttings from them last month and could have taken 50 more; the three plants there are still close to 3X3 and very lush. Flower buds have begun to form.