Agastache Hummingbird Mint Live Plant – Hyssop Perennial Starter

Overview

Introduce a burst of long-lasting color and delightful fragrance to your landscape with the versatile Agastache live plant. Commonly known as Hummingbird Mint or Hyssop, this aromatic flowering herbaceous perennial is a favorite among gardeners and pollinators alike. Originating primarily from North America and parts of Eastern Asia, Agastache is celebrated for its ease of care and stunning tubular flowers that bloom in a wide spectrum of colors, from pristine white to deep purple. Each Agastache live plant arrives as a healthy starter seedling in a small plug-size 1" X 1" X 1 1/4” container, ready to establish quickly in your garden. Its fragrant foliage, a member of the mint family, can also be utilized for culinary purposes, such as making tea, or for creating potpourris, adding another layer of appeal to this remarkable plant.

The genus Agastache encompasses 22 species, each offering unique characteristics, but all sharing the common traits of being low-maintenance and highly attractive to beneficial insects. Whether you’re looking to create a vibrant border, fill containers with continuous bloom, or attract hummingbirds to your yard, the Hummingbird Mint perennial is an excellent choice. Its robust nature and extended blooming period ensure a spectacular display from late spring through fall, providing essential nectar for pollinators when many other plants have faded.

Key Benefits

The Agastache live plant offers a multitude of benefits for any garden, making it a highly desirable addition. Its resilience and beauty contribute significantly to a thriving landscape, proving why the Hummingbird Mint perennial is so popular.

• Attracts Pollinators: Agastache flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, supporting local ecosystems and bringing lively activity to your garden. Their nectar-rich blooms are a vital food source.
• Deer Resistant: The aromatic foliage of Agastache naturally deters deer, making it an excellent choice for gardens in areas prone to deer browsing, ensuring your plants remain undisturbed.
• Low Maintenance: This perennial requires minimal care once established, thriving in a variety of conditions and proving to be drought-tolerant. It’s perfect for busy gardeners or those new to gardening.
• Extended Bloom Season: Enjoy continuous blooms from late spring through fall, providing color and interest for several months. Many varieties, like ‘Morello’ and ‘Kudos Red’, offer long-lasting floral displays.
• Fragrant Foliage & Culinary Uses: The leaves emit a delightful minty or licorice scent, which can be used to flavor teas, potpourris, or other culinary creations, adding a unique dimension to your kitchen and home.
• Mildew Resistant: Several Agastache varieties, including ‘Morello’ and ‘Kudos Red’, boast excellent mildew resistance, ensuring healthier, more attractive plants throughout the growing season.
• Versatile Landscape Use: Ideal for containers, borders, mass plantings, or rock gardens. Its upright habit and vibrant flowers make it suitable for various garden designs. Understanding growing Agastache successfully can transform your garden.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Growing Agastache, or Hummingbird Mint perennial, is relatively straightforward, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners. These plants thrive with proper care, ensuring a vibrant and long-lasting display. For optimal growth, plant your Agastache live plant in a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. While Agastache can tolerate some partial shade, full sun promotes the most abundant flowering and robust growth. Ensure good air circulation around the plants to prevent fungal issues, especially in humid climates.

Regarding soil, Agastache prefers well-draining soil. It is not particular about soil type, but good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot. Sandy or loamy soils are ideal, but if you have heavy clay soil, amend it with organic matter like compost or grit to improve drainage. Once established, Agastache is quite drought-tolerant, requiring less frequent watering. Water deeply when the top few inches of soil are dry, especially during prolonged dry spells. Overwatering is more detrimental than underwatering for this plant. This focus on proper drainage is a key aspect of Hyssop plant care.

Agastache is hardy in USDA Zones 5-10, depending on the variety, making it suitable for a wide range of climates. It generally requires little fertilization; an annual application of a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer in spring is usually sufficient. Deadheading spent flowers can encourage more blooms and maintain a tidy appearance. In colder zones, a layer of mulch around the base of the plant in late fall can provide extra winter protection. The deer resistant plants quality of Agastache means you have one less worry in your garden.

Size & Details

Each Agastache live plant arrives as a healthy starter seedling, carefully cultivated in a small plug-size 1" X 1" X 1 1/4” container, ensuring it’s ready for successful transplanting into your garden or larger pot. The mature size of Agastache varies significantly by variety. For instance, ‘Morello’ grows to an upright clumping habit of 27-30 inches tall and 24 inches wide, while ‘Kudos Red’ and ‘Kudos Coral’ typically reach 20-27 inches tall and 12-24 inches wide. ‘Rugosa Crazy Fortune’ can achieve 28-32 inches tall and 20 inches wide, and the more compact ‘Rugosa Beelicious Purple’ stands at 16 inches tall and 12 inches wide. ‘Blue Boa’ can grow up to 24-36 inches with its striking deep violet-blue flowers. Most varieties boast a vigorous growth rate, quickly establishing themselves to provide a spectacular display of color and fragrance. The varying sizes offer flexibility for diverse landscape designs, from compact containers to expansive borders, contributing to the overall success of growing Agastache.

These Hummingbird Mint perennial plants are known for their extended blooming periods, with flowers typically appearing from May or June and continuing through September. The specific bloom times can vary slightly depending on the variety and local climate conditions. The plants are shipped in their plug containers, which protects the root system and ensures a smooth transition to your garden. Expect these plants to reach their mature size and full blooming potential within one to two growing seasons after planting, providing years of enjoyment. This information is crucial for understanding Hyssop plant care and planning your garden layout.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Agastache live plant get? A: The mature size of an Agastache live plant varies by variety. For example, ‘Morello’ can reach 27-30 inches tall, while ‘Kudos Red’ is 20-27 inches. ‘Rugosa Beelicious Purple’ is more compact at 16 inches tall.
• Q: What size pot does the plant come in? A: Each Hummingbird Mint perennial seedling is shipped in a small plug-size 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 1/4 inch container, ideal for easy transplanting.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Agastache is primarily an outdoor perennial plant, thriving in garden beds, borders, and outdoor containers. While it can be grown indoors temporarily in very bright conditions, it generally performs best outside.
• Q: How much sunlight does Agastache need? A: This plant thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and flowering. This is a key part of successful Hyssop plant care.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Agastache is considered a low-maintenance plant once established. It’s drought-tolerant and generally disease-resistant, making it suitable for gardeners of all experience levels.
• Q: What condition will the plant arrive in? A: Your Agastache live plant will arrive as a healthy starter seedling, carefully packaged in its plug container to ensure its roots are protected during transit.
• Q: Can I use the leaves of Agastache for culinary purposes? A: Yes, many Agastache varieties have fragrant, mint- or licorice-scented foliage that can be used to make teas or for other culinary applications.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: With proper care, your Agastache plant should begin to bloom in its first growing season, typically from late spring or early summer through fall, offering an extended period of color.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Agastache is hardy in USDA Zones 5-10, depending on the specific variety. Check your local hardiness zone to ensure it will thrive as a perennial in your area. This makes them excellent deer resistant plants that return year after year.
• Q: What type of soil does Agastache prefer? A: Agastache prefers well-draining soil. It can tolerate various soil types but good drainage is essential to prevent root issues.