Let's Talk Agastache, Sean's Fave Perennial 🐝 🦋 Garden Guru Sean at The Gardener's Center

[@kater8730]

Love Agastache, but my favourite perennial is Hummelo or Betany. It is so cute and easy to grow and beautiful colour. I keep splitting mine and growing it all over my garden. I can't have enough.

[@plantmandb]

I too love agastache Rosie Posey, being my current favorite appreciate the information that you bring to the subject and your enthusiasm. Thank you.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Thank you so much!

[@sharabenson]

Agastache fragrance is one of my favorites! 🥰

[@jessicakurth5582]

I have agastache in my pollinator garden and it's wonderful! It's robust and rabbit resistant for me. I just bought more and saw your video, great timing!

[@TheGardenersCenter]

I've never heard of an animal of any kind eating Agastache. That alone makes it a great perennial.

[@beaverrunfarm]

I subscribed to your channel some time ago, was just scrolling through my subscriptions and found it again, but could not remember it, I am now binge watching :) , love Sean, great info! I, too, am a huge Agastache fan!

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Welcome back!

[@nurturingnature8641]

You nailed it! There are many reasons to love Agastache. I have a few in my gardens and the bees and the hummers really enjoy them. Golden Jubilee has become one of my favorites. The chartreuse foliage helps unify some of my plantings. Blue Fortune is on my wish list. 😊

[@lisalikesplants]

Thanks for making this video, I just made one about it's value in the native garden. I decided it's such a good "pollinator" plant that it's a good addition to my natives.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

You're welcome. It's amazing how many insects are attracted to this plant. Love watching them enjoy Agastache on hot summer days.

[@frazercollins9559]

Great video. Also agree Agastache is my favorite perennial

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Thank you! Can't say enough good things about Agastache.

[@BaughbeSauce]

OOH! I KNOW! The reason that many purple flowers are called "blue" TRADITIONALLY is because we had a word for blue long before we had a word for purple. Pretty much any cool color was considered "blue" and warm colors were considered red or yellow. When people began CREATING their own colors (like dyes and paint) they had to start to delineate between the shades and thus purple, green, orange, etc. were introduced into language. Now, many things that are purple are still called "blue" but it often is used in modern floral language to mean "on the cooler side of the spectrum than red." Thanks for the very helpful and informative video! I'm planting my lavender agastache and anise hyssop this year so this was a very concise video!

[@TheGardenersCenter]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@SkipFlem]

American Finches love our Agastache, too.

[@TienTran-nm6ms]

I'm in Zone 6b and have grown Blue Fortune, Blue Boa, Purple Haze, and Black Adder - none of those made it through the winter. (Our winters are wet here.) Only Agastache foeniculum is dependable. I'm trying Agastache scrophulariifolia this year and have a good feeling that it would also do well, being a native species.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

I remember you always talking about agastache being your favorite. It is definitely one of mine too. I have everything from blue fortune to mango tango. Once you get a feel for these, they can be easy plants. On zone 6a, I dig a deep hole, put sand and even pea gravel mixed in there, and that keeps them from soaking in wet clay soil. Also people need to back off the watering. Especially that get it slightly wet every day kind of watering. I hope people can really learn to enjoy these great plants! The pollinators go crazy over them!

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Most people that aren't successful with Agastache are overwaterers. Good move on your part with the sand/gravel. This can be the difference between life and death with Agastache, especially the red, yellow and orange rupestris types. I'll be talking about them next time.

[@trishferrer8209]

I have only seen the purple ones that smell like licorice! I love them. I'd love to have other colors as well. 8a, W. TN.

[@johncornell7103]

I love you brother you are very informative and to the point

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Appreciate the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@maureenmckenna5220]

Have agastache and love it for no staking, bee attraction, and spreading, so I can plant elsewhere. Nothing eats it! Don’t like that here in VA they die back in august. Leaves turn yellow (water)? And the seeds get eaten by finches and they don’t look good. I cut them back for neatness. Overall a great plant.

[@JWHealing]

Love the specific info on the qualities of the korean agastache and other varieties. Here in the PNW we of course have wet fall-winter-spring's so I'll be sure to plant in more sloped areas and see if I can get them to overwinter.

[@jordansmith4167]

Thank you.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@makeupartistrybyliz]

I planted a bunch of agastache years ago (unsure which variety offhand) and it has performed so well - and at the rate it pops up elsewhere in the garden, I’ll be surprised if I ever have to add more as the parent plants die off.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

You're very lucky! They don't usually self seed very prolifically unless they're in a happy place. Thanks for watching.

[@jimmiecheek4392]

Love my blue fortune in 8a, but after thunderstorms they flop and splay with little recovery. I’ve had to tie them together for stem support.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Yep. Thunderstorms can cause a lot of heartbreak in the garden.

[@bridgettcrane9418]

True beens.

[@MickF04]

Are the shorter Agastache less desirable? In our area, something like Blue Fortune Agastache will go 4-5' tall. That's twice as tall as we would like, but I've heard the other varieties aren't as attractive to pollinators.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

You'd want to give Agastache 'Purple Haze' a try. This one grows 2 to 3 feet tall and is always swarming with bees and butterflies.

[@angiemc8593]

agastache is also a favourite in my garden it’s such a wonderful plant. Not sure if it’s available there but agastache sweet lil is my new favourite, it’s a beautiful pink with a little orange too. I’ve had mine for about 3 years now, do they like to be divided?

[@leannatimmerman9922]

I live south of Atlanta and our climate is humid with lots of rain. Is there a type of agastache that would do well here? Seems like they prefer drier conditions.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

They are definitely not a fan of excessive moisture and humidity and would probably languish in your climate.

[@samfinazzo8314]

Japanese beetles love to eat the flowers

[@TheGardenersCenter]

That they do!

[@katmurphy6634]

What growing zones does agastache succeed in?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Agastache does best in zones 5 through 8.

[@doreenrussell2978]

Is it possible that the seeds from this plant might keep it going further than 3 to 5 years?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

It's possible, but typically not a very prolific self seeder. If it's happy where it's planted this may work. Thanks for watching!

[@lorrilynnwilson6229]

Can they be used to deter groundhogs?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

We wish!!! We would sell boat loads more if they did! Animals don't like the taste of them, so they won't eat them. But unfortunately, they don't have the ability to deter animals.

[@dragnflei]

I’m in the St Louis area and I haven’t given in to trying these because I know they’d hate our winters. Can you suggest a substitute with similar characteristics that is more tolerant of “wonky” winters?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

I think Agastache 'Blue Fortune' would be well worth trying in the St. Louis area. Start with a single one or two gallon plant and get it in the ground as early as possible in the Spring so that it is able to get well established before your Winter wonkiness.

[@MyCornerOnline]

I’m in Cape Girardeau and have the Black Adder variety and love it. It’s lasted years.

[@kfowler193]

Is it considered a bully in the garden since it is a mint?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Not at all. This is a well behaved clumping perennial. It does not spread about like some other members of the mint family.

[@luisreviews6412]

Dallas here, Blue Fortune is an all star. Fast to grow 5 ft tall, blooms non stop and full of bees, moths and butterflies. This plant was unheard of to me and surprised me.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Blue Fortune is probably my favorite Agastache. They can get big and beastly which surprises a lot of people. Great plant in the right spot.

[@lisawhitehouse9267]

Blue Fortune gets tall and flops over. I wondered if it needs to be pinched in the spring to control the height.

[@kikks461]

I would love to know what your top 5 or ten perennials are -that don’t flop!

[@n.v.b2]

I am in zone 7b. Growing Korean Agastashe from seed first year. The taste and flavor of the leaves is unbelievable, reminds of licorice, but better, it's sweet and candy-like. I can see eating it straight and not getting enough of... Will see how it overwinters.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

I'm trying out Agastache urticifolia which is native out west.. Hoping it survives but it seems to be a more mountainy species so I'm giving it a well drained spot and hoping for the best 🤷

[@elainelight9286]

A long blooming season sounds great. My astilbe blooms for only one week! Love the foliage, though.

[@dustyflats3832]

Lol, we are in extreme drought and the deer are eating anything this year. They ate hostas to the ground.

[@JWHealing]

Ohmigod Thank you! The whole thing about calling purple flowers blue has always messed me up. It makes me doubt my monitor colors. That is just so weird. What's wrong with just calling something purple?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

You're very welcome! If it says blue...chances are it's purple.

[@jennifergottliebel-azhari149]

Agree this is my favorite plant. I garden in large part for the bees. Ive noticed the bees like the blue agastache much better than red or orange. Buy blue. Hyssop the most loved by bees.

[@leticianyquist8144]

What about zone 4

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Agastache 'Blue Fortune' would be a good one to try in Zone 4, especially if you have reliable, deep snow cover during the winter months.

[@lpg1298]

What pollinator perennial flower could I plant with Agastache that would blend nicely while attracting pollinators? Thanks

[@TheGardenersCenter]

Echinacea, aka coneflowers, work nicely with Agastache and there are many color choices. Asclepias incarnata, the swamp milkweed, and Pycnanthemum, aka mountain mint are also good choices for attracting pollinators.

[@C123abc]

I'm in zone 4B (VT) and bought one last year. It was just listed as "blue". It's come up again and growing well. But we did have a relatively mild winter and perhaps some snow cover helped. I did not water it very much last summer.

[@TheGardenersCenter]

More than likely 'Blue Fortune' that you purchased. It's one of the more reliable varieties as far as cold hardiness. You're lucky to have had some snow cover, we had a mild and rainy winter in CT and many Agastache didn't make it. Thanks for watching!

[@MountainsnVallies]

@@TheGardenersCenterI’m in zone 4 as well and wanted to plant in very large pot.. can I leave them for the winter and cover with mulch or do I plant it in the ground early fall? Ty I purchased my first dwarf kudos coral and have been looking for firecracker but can’t find that one here

[@TaLeng2023]

What's the hottest they tolerate? Like would they grow in SE Asia?

[@TheGardenersCenter]

They wouldn't work in SE Asia. They need a cold winter climate so that they can go dormant and rest.

[@TaLeng2023]

@@TheGardenersCenter TY