Agastache is a genus of mostly aromatic plants with small flowers in spikes. They're suitable in herb gardens and mixed flower borders. Because they are so aromatic they are very attractive to pollinating insects and many aviaries plant Agastaches nearby to feed the bees with sweet pollen. Hummingbirds love them also -- especially A. barberi (Giant Hummingbird Mint). The latin name comes from the Greek: "aga" meaning "very much" and "stachys" meaning "ears of wheat." The flowers do resemble thick ears of wheat, except they are in pastel or bright colours including purple, lilac, white and orange.
For the most part, Agastaches like to be grown in a well drained fertile soil in full sun. If they're given too much shade they can develop mildews, just like their close relatives the mints. In cool climates the less hardy varieties may need to be overwintered in a sheltered area but the common types are hardy to zone 5. If you can grow lavender, you have a perfect position to grow Agastaches in.
They are very easy to start from seeds. Germinate them when the soil is between 55 and 64ºF. (13 and 18ºC.) or provide just a bit of bottom heat if started earlier in spring. Sometimes they damp off, a bacterial disease that effects young seedlings of the mint family and others. I prevent against this by an initial watering in with Chamomile tea, which is mildy anti-bacterial. If you treat before there is a problem, you will never need to resort to commercial products such as No Damp.
You can also divide in early spring -- a very easy way to increase the amount of any perennial in your garden.
They also take well from cuttings. Select semi-ripe stems, just as they start to sprout upwards vigorously but well before they flower. For me this is early to mid July.
Agastaches are clump forming rather than stoloniferous, so they don't take over. At about 3 years of age you may want to divide your clump. It's advisable to divide any perennial thats getting crowded, and you can read all about how to do that in How To Divide Perennials. Do this in the spring and your plants will still bloom in summer.
For further information, here's a list of Agastache species:
- Aurantica
- Barberi
- Cana
- Coccinea
- Foeniculim
- Mexicana
- Nepetoides
- Rugosa
- Rupestris
- Scrophularfolia
- Agastache Misc. Hybrids
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