When it comes to keeping your garden lively with hummingbirds, few plants work harder than agastache. These vibrant, fragrant perennials — sometimes called hummingbird mint or giant hyssop — thrive in full sun and reward gardeners with long spikes of blooms from summer well into fall. When plants fade after flowering, the way you handle those old stems determines how many new blossoms you’ll see later. A few smart pruning habits can mean a more hummingbird-friendly, bushy plant come the following spring.
The agastache genus includes about 22 species, which are hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 10 and grow best in well-drained soil that doesn’t stay wet over winter. Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is one of many herbs you should grow to attract more hummingbirds to your garden, and it’s also one of the more well-known species. These plants attract hummingbirds, and one of the reasons for this is that hummers use sight to find food and prefer red, orange, and pink tones (all of which can be found among the agastache genus).
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