Sounds like you are hooked! :-) Are the hummers visiting your sages? Agastache is a favorite of hummingbirds. I have two of the type called Hummingbird Mint. The flowers are extremely long lasting.

Lorna

Beautiful!! They're so lush and healthy. No evidence of a brown thumbprint on those babies!!

If you can grow those in pots, you can grow them in the ground, too. Those look great!

Cameron

Thanks for the nice comments everyone :) I know it seems that they are not much to look at, but if I could have got a closer shot of these they are stunning!! They have surpassed the size that was stated they would get in height. I just wish that the flowers would not fall off so easily....they are very delicate.

Lorna: I have seen a few hummers visiting them. I am on year 2 of my complete landscape makeover and am outside a lot...but believe it or not, I don't have time to watch all of the time because I am so busy. I will have to check into the hummingbird mint. Is there a certain variety. Sorry if I sound dumb.

ctnchpr: I cannot believe how healthy they are either. I believe these are the best plants I have ever grown. I have never even had a leaf go ugly or crispy. I believe this is why my brown thumbprint was not left on them :)

Cameron: Oh, but I just love them in my pots....I think the hummers probably like them better too because they are higher off of the ground.

LFN- Excellent job beautifull lush and full, do you have more plants.

lovefornature, you might want to join the Cottage Garden forum, or at least lurk. There is lots of great info on landscaping, plants, cultivation, etc.

There are many types of agastache. One variety is called Hummingbird Mint. It has a female first name attached to it, but I can't remember what it is, Eva's maybe--it isn't necessary to identify the plant. I believe hummers like all of the agastaches, but are exceptionally fond of the Hummingbird Mint. It is perennial in many zones. Here is a photo of one of mine. The dog weighs forty pounds,to give you an idea of the size of the plant.

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Lorna

Hi Hummersteve: Thanks for the comments. I do have Black and Blue, but just found it at Lowe's a few weeks ago and transplanted to another Whiskey Barrel. So blooms are sparse. I am hoping to overwinter the tubers. I also have Bee Balm (Raspberry Wine) but it was too young to bloom this summer. One more plant John Clayton Honeysuckle, which was too young also, I am having trouble trying to find out where to put the trellis and it is driving me crazy!!

Lorna: This for the info. and picture on the Hummingbird Mint. I really like purple a lot. I live in Zone 5B Illinois, would it be a perennial here. What state do you live in and what kind of earth do you have? I think I heard Agastages (sp) do better in the west.

I sure wish that people would post more pictures of their hummer gardens.....I have so much trouble putting things together. I think I have OCD about this!!

I live in central New Mexico. Until recently I thought I was in Zone 6, but it turns out to be 7b. I do get snow, but not a lot of it. Somebody on the Cottage Gardens forum said they can grow agastache in Michigan as an annual. Cameron is growing agastache in North Carolina. My plants are growing in sandy, alkaline soil. I put some compost in the planting hole, and I fertilize them once a year.

I recently bought a Blue Fortune agastache. I haven't yet seen the flowers, but the plant, itself, looks entirely different from my Hummingbird Mint agastache. I'll be very interested to see what this plant looks like at maturity. Penstemons are also good for hummingbirds. It is a large family of plants, all different kinds (tubular flowers).

Lorna

Lorna,

'Blue Fortune' is a favorite of the Monarch Butterflies. Here is Blue Fortune in front of the 'Salmon and Pink' agastache. Different bloom forms. The hummers prefer the Salmon and Pink and the butterflies and bees prefer the blue fortune.

Blue Fortune is at least 3 feet tall and maybe 18-20" wide in my garden, having been planted in 2007.

Cameron

Thanks, Cameron.
Lorna