Looking for advice

Anderson, IN(Zone 6a)

I am looking for advice about starting Agastache , Have several started , I know they do not grow true from seed , and I could be in for a disappointed effort .
however , soil and location , potting them , anything from the time they are seedlings , all advice or any is appreciated ..
My last two attempts had been dismal ...


Lititz, PA(Zone 6b)

I have never grown them from seed so I can't help you there. What I can say is they are best grown in full sun and do not require regular watering unless Mother Nature isn't playing her part. Generally speaking, Agastache's are xeric plants and require only 10-20" of water for optimal growth. Some can take more water however. If you are growing them from seed, once they start, I wouldn't be babying them too much with water. Also, once you plant them in the garden, I would not amend the soil with compost. If you have clay soil, you might amend with sand and pea gravel.

Algonquin, IL(Zone 5a)

Hi juhur -
I've never grown Agastache from seed and, granted, my experience is limited. I have, though, had some great success in "not ideal" conditions, so maybe these tips will be some help.

Agastaches love full sun, but as you already know, I don't have a lot of full sun so I tend to experiment with less-than-ideal lighting conditions. I first tried agastache in my full sun bed where it grew and bloomed pretty well, but never returned the next spring. The bed is amended clay and tends to pack down, but other plants return just fine.

My current agastache was bought on a whim during an Autumn closeout sale at Lowes. It was late autumn by the time I got around to planting it and quite cold already, so I made room in my raised bed in part shade and hoped for the best. The next year it came back and thrived. You've even seen some of the pics. This year it came back again and is growing like crazy.

Here are a few things I learned:
-Mine is happy in my raised bed even though it's not full sun.

-It seems to like the soil which is purchased top soil amended with leaves, peat and compost. Other than that, I don't fertilize it.

-Agastaches don't like to be overwatered and need good drainage.

-They also don't need fertilizer except maybe some compost or a tiny amount of extended release fertilizer in autumn.

-And don't cut the stalks down in autumn which can cause the plants to rot. Wait till you start getting some growth in spring before cutting down old growth.

I read a couple of things online that said they may not bloom the first year from seed, but I have no experience there so I can't say for sure.


Lititz, PA(Zone 6b)

Great advice NAN! Thanks :)

Dallas, TX

Glad I stumbled here. Think I just learned the error of my ways.

Algonquin, IL(Zone 5a)

You're welcome, Sequoiadendron4!

Tx_flower_child - I love to skim through different forums. I'm always learning something new from them.

Hopefully some others will jump in with their successes and failures. Sometimes it's the best way to learn.

Thanks for starting this thread, juhur!


Anderson, IN(Zone 6a)

nutsaboutnature I have a half dozen small one's growing now , their raised on a little hill , we will see later if it does any good or not .

Anytime (nuts ) about the thread , and thank you for joining in ,!!! . I rather do a lot of thread browsing myself at times .. gets interesting once in a while .

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

Juhur -- I know this is an Old tread...I've Winter sown agastaches and had success with most, only a few that never germinates zone 5a and nothing special with the soil... If you still have seeds, give WS a try.

Anderson, IN(Zone 6a)

The only agastache I know i have at the moment is Agastache rugosa . a white flowered Korean mint
winter interest and bees loved the blooms this summer . everlasting for vase

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

A. foeniculum -- grows like weeds. I love them. I have A. rugosa too, I find it just a bit shorter than A. foeniculum -- very similar plants for me.

Anderson, IN(Zone 6a)

I like the type of plant it is , I will try again , I have so many things to do with the garden .
When I reset the side of the drive ,I will try a few others
Hyssop , type , did not do well here , I have tried twice to grow it , one got really large and did not return the second season ...
My garden conditions are changing , plants do not like that .
I did keep a red Agastache alive for a season . but as said before . there are a few that take some effort .
a little red agastache sprout came back from the previous seasons root , got about a ft. tall . with a single stem . and then died ... That is a soil condition problem .. not impossible to grow though ..
Rugosa is a tough plant .. Now I know why it is referred to as a mint ..
My garden skills (so called? ) could use some updating

Dallas, TX

My first Agastache was one I bought maybe 3 or 4 years ago. I kept it in its pot all summer. Late fall comes around and for whatever reason I just chucked the whole thing (pot and remains of the plant) off in a little seen area of my yard. The next spring I was collecting pots and stuff that 'the wind must have blown' and there was my little Agastache starting to bloom. Didn't survive the year after that. Well that's not totally true. It just looked sickly and I put it out of its misery. So that's all I can tell you unless I look up the botanical name. I did have another one that was gorgeous. It was in a raised bed. I thought it would re-seed itself but it didn't. And I've never seen that particular variety again in any of my local nurseries.

Anderson, IN(Zone 6a)

Yes , I get you agree , matter of luck and place eh Tx , flower ,, ?
in Texas though , you have salvias , penstemons , and Sages , we could never grow here , Choices get very limited ,
The Lady in Red Salvia growing here as annual , is perennial where you are Texas ,
Couple of them are 4 ft , tall , and blooming away ..

Dallas, TX

Yes, juhur, we can do lots of things in Texas. Many different microclimates. I'm kinda limited due to very little full sun. I have some huge Red Oaks (we're talking 75+ years) that help shade the house from our brutal summers, but also make my perennials kinda wimpy. But still, when I was in the garden on Monday there were butterflies all over the place. I've never seen so many in my yard. Must be that milkweed I planted. I do have a scarlet sage and the one that is red with a white 'lip', plus the black & blue salvia (really going for botanical names here, eh?), and a new coral nymph sage that I just got at a DG Round Up. Also have a teeny Greg's Mist that's flowering and the butterflies like that, too. I'm happy.

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

TX -- LOVE coral nymph!! that was one of my faves. they'd last a few yrs for me, probably volunteers from fallen seeds. The red and white i believe is "Hot Lips".

I need to get a "Black and Blue" Just love them. Where I live in WI for the summers, the village always puts them in those huge pots that line Broadway. Just gorgeous. I saw them at Lowes last week, but did not get one.

and speaking of nymph.... I believe I also had a white once. They are just so pretty.

Dallas, TX

I do know that there is a white salvia/sage. In fact, I think I transplanted one but it hasn't yet grown big enough to bloom. A neighbor has a huge stand of whites. They're probably fairly old. Most of the homes in my neighborhood were built in the 1940s and I think a lot of folks started planting flowers, etc. after that.

My black & blue was the first thing to bloom this spring and then it just stopped. I kept waiting and waiting so I finally cut it back. Now it's started blooming again. Yay!

I also have one of the Duelbergs. Would have to go outside to see if it's Henry or his wife Augusta as I'm having memory lapse. Anyway, it is finally starting to bloom. It was also a cutting that I got at a DG RU. I just looked at the plant guide and as it turns out, I'm growing Augusta Duelberg as she has a white flower.

This message was edited Oct 30, 2014 1:57 AM

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