Thinking about attracting hummingbirds to your garden? Then consider agastache plants as they are one of the easiest plants to grow to attract hummingbirds. Hummingbirds love agastache plants and will swarm into your garden all summer long to drink the sweet nectar from these plants. All agastache plants have tubular flowers fit for a hummingbird.
There are about a dozen varieties of agastache plants available and they come in different shades of pink, deep rose, raspberry, orange, and blue-purple. The blue-purple agastache plants will attract butterflies. The flowers are tubular and on long spikes from the plant. You could actually make a garden of just agastache plants for the hummingbirds. Agastache plants are native to North America and Eastern Asia and are considered to be a perennial herb. The Chinese use this plant in medicinal herbs.
Most agastache plants are drought tolerant and they range in size from 15 inches high to 5 feet high. They’re actually more like a little shrub than they are a flower. Agastache plants are perennials and are commonly known as ‘Hummingbird Mint’ or ‘Hyssop. They prefer full sun and well-drained soils. They’re excellent plants for the western United States because they enjoy the heat and are drought tolerant. They also make great container plants.
Here’s a brief description of some of the agastache plants that are great for hummingbirds or just an added attraction in your garden.
Agastache ‘Ava
This agastache plant is huge with beautiful deep rose/raspberry colored flowers. It can grow 4-5 feet tall and its width is only about 24 inches wide. Agastache Ava flowers in mid summer and continues until frost. It’s very fragrant and makes a nice dried arrangement. It’s good for Zones 5-10.
Agastache cana ‘Rosita
Agastache Rosita is one of my favorites. It’s a smaller agastache plant with raspberry colored flowers and blooms all summer long. This plant can grow to 24 inches high and a width of 30 inches. I have several in my gardens and hummingbirds are always around them. They’re very hardy and grow in Zones 5-10.
Agastache ‘Desert Sunrise
This agastache seems to be one of the easiest agastaches to grow and also one of the prettiest. It’s flowers are two-toned in orange and pink. Hummingbirds are very territorial over this agastache plant. It grows faster than most agastaches and blooms nonstop from midsummer to frost. The plant height for Desert Sunrise is about 40-48 inches tall and 24 inches wide. This is a Zone 5-10 plant.
Agastache rupestris ‘Licorice Mint Hyssop
Licorice Mint Hyssop is commonly found in local nurseries. It’s a popular plant for xeriscape gardens. This plant is very hardy and has a spicy fragrance. The flowers are pink and orange and will attract many hummingbirds. It can grow from 36-42 inches tall and its width is only 18 inches. This plant is good in Zones 4-9.
Agastache cana ‘Texas Hummingbird Mint
This is another commonly found agastache at the nurseries. Texas Hummingbird Mint is very popular with raspberry-pink flowers and has a lighter scent compared to other agastaches. But don’t worry, the hummingbirds will be drawn to this plant. It’s a medium-sized agastache plant only reaching about 24 -36 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Very hardy in Zones 5-9.
Since most agastache plants are pinkish-raspberry colored, you could plant salvias and penstemons alongside them. Salvias tend to be blue-purple in color and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Penstemons come in a variety of colors and also attract hummingbirds.
I’ve listed only a few of the agastache plants you’ll find at nurseries and online. Any of these agastache plants will make a great addition to any garden and they’re quite showy. Your hummingbirds love them!
Sources: Personal Experience
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