Does anyone know this plant?

[WetWork]

That sounds like the perfect spot for it.

[Gemma]

My Hardy Gloxinia is starting to bloom and I'm happy to see that the color is the same as the pic on the tag which is not always the case

[rubyduby]

My Hardy Gloxinia is starting to bloom and I'm happy to see that the color is the same as the pic on the tag which is not always the case

Beautiful! My favorite color too!

[SarahT]

How are you "all"'s agastache growing efforts going? I ask because I'm always looking for plants here in Tampa FL that are heat and drought resistent. The Florida summer sun really is intense, I don't irrigate, and don't water plants on a regular basis. My bog is full of plants, so until I build more bog space, I'm looking for plants that will look pretty and take care of themselves.
Thanks, all, happy summer (still).

[brokensword]

How are you "all"'s agastache growing efforts going? I ask because I'm always looking for plants here in Tampa FL that are heat and drought resistent. The Florida summer sun really is intense, I don't irrigate, and don't water plants on a regular basis. My bog is full of plants, so until I build more bog space, I'm looking for plants that will look pretty and take care of themselves.
Thanks, all, happy summer (still).

heya, Sarah! Well, I water regularly, so don't really have anything to suggest other than succulents and cactus that can withstand heat and not much watering. And even that said, not sure either of those will do well with humidity. Both are better dry or half dry and I'd think humidity would bother them. I DO know they grow plenty of orchids in Fla, so you might look into those. They LIKE humidity as their roots are typically airborne. They don't like full sun, though and some even like low light (phals). Do you not irrigate due to financial issues or is it some sort of water ban/shortage?

How's the pond doing? Any new pics to look at?

Hope you're doing well!

[WetWork]

My Agastache plants are doing great. I planted a hedge of them in the garden bed in front of the house. They have gotten much larger than I expected and are crowding out the lavender plants that I planted in front of them. I'll have to move those out more.

The plants seems to bloom continuously and have a wonderful smell. They are supposed to make a nice tea but I haven't yet tried that.

I'm not sure about the humidity with that Florida location, but it has been pretty humid here, too, and so far they are thriving. I don't water mine very often and mostly let the rain showers take care of that.

All in all I'm very pleased with these plants. Very easy to grow from seeds and I didn't really expect them to grow and bloom this much their first year.

[WetWork]

I don't water mine so much because I read that they will do fine if watered well their first year, but the won't come back the next. I also brought in well draining soil to plant them in, and I don't mulch them. I don't want anything around them that will hold water.

So far, that seems to be working for them here. I guess the big test will be if they come back next year or they disappear.

[SarahT]

How are you "all"'s agastache growing efforts going? I ask because I'm always looking for plants here in Tampa FL that are heat and drought resistent. The Florida summer sun really is intense, I don't irrigate, and don't water plants on a regular basis. My bog is full of plants, so until I build more bog space, I'm looking for plants that will look pretty and take care of themselves.
Thanks, all, happy summer (still).

heya, Sarah! Well, I water regularly, so don't really have anything to suggest other than succulents and cactus that can withstand heat and not much watering. And even that said, not sure either of those will do well with humidity. Both are better dry or half dry and I'd think humidity would bother them. I DO know they grow plenty of orchids in Fla, so you might look into those. They LIKE humidity as their roots are typically airborne. They don't like full sun, though and some even like low light (phals). Do you not irrigate due to financial issues or is it some sort of water ban/shortage?

How's the pond doing? Any new pics to look at?

Hope you're doing well!

Thanks. All well here. I should be more clear. I have lots of plants, but I like a variety and am always looking for a new one. I don't irrigate or water because I don't want to worry if I travel for a week or 2. My pond-sitter isn't a garden watering type (and he feeds the fish too much, but no one is perfect). I don't have cactus, but I've got succulents, many varieties of bromeliads, and yes - a couple of orchids - in the shade of my large live oak tree, which just got the addition of caladiums. In the sunny area, I've planted some shrubs and small trees, most of which are doing fine (I water to establish them the first year). It's the spots of color and butterfly fodder that I'd like to add. Vinca and salvia are doing well, but most other blooming annual types got fried / dried, including zinnia, maigold, and gallardia (! a native!). Thus my search for additional plants and agastache sounded interesting. I'll get some seeds and try it.
Pond is doing well, though I have a slight algae bloom despite the bog (note "fish-sitter feeds too much", above) and I'm working to rehome some of last year's baby goldfish, too. Pix "soon".

[brokensword]

How are you "all"'s agastache growing efforts going? I ask because I'm always looking for plants here in Tampa FL that are heat and drought resistent. The Florida summer sun really is intense, I don't irrigate, and don't water plants on a regular basis. My bog is full of plants, so until I build more bog space, I'm looking for plants that will look pretty and take care of themselves.
Thanks, all, happy summer (still).

heya, Sarah! Well, I water regularly, so don't really have anything to suggest other than succulents and cactus that can withstand heat and not much watering. And even that said, not sure either of those will do well with humidity. Both are better dry or half dry and I'd think humidity would bother them. I DO know they grow plenty of orchids in Fla, so you might look into those. They LIKE humidity as their roots are typically airborne. They don't like full sun, though and some even like low light (phals). Do you not irrigate due to financial issues or is it some sort of water ban/shortage?

How's the pond doing? Any new pics to look at?

Hope you're doing well!

Thanks. All well here. I should be more clear. I have lots of plants, but I like a variety and am always looking for a new one. I don't irrigate or water because I don't want to worry if I travel for a week or 2. My pond-sitter isn't a garden watering type (and he feeds the fish too much, but no one is perfect). I don't have cactus, but I've got succulents, many varieties of bromeliads, and yes - a couple of orchids - in the shade of my large live oak tree, which just got the addition of caladiums. In the sunny area, I've planted some shrubs and small trees, most of which are doing fine (I water to establish them the first year). It's the spots of color and butterfly fodder that I'd like to add. Vinca and salvia are doing well, but most other blooming annual types got fried / dried, including zinnia, maigold, and gallardia (! a native!). Thus my search for additional plants and agastache sounded interesting. I'll get some seeds and try it.
Pond is doing well, though I have a slight algae bloom despite the bog (note "fish-sitter feeds too much", above) and I'm working to rehome some of last year's baby goldfish, too. Pix "soon".

ah, I got it now; here's a suggestion that might help. If you set up a drip irrigation (soaker hose) and a timer on your faucets, you could probably keep those specific species alive when you're gone. This way, they get some moisture so as not to die on you and the hose being underground (just an inch or so) helps keep the water at the roots and not exposed to your sun. I used to do this but I have so many, the soaker idea wasn't cutting it and now, most of the hose is dormant. Went back to the dedicated irrigation system. Which you too could install, if interested.

Glad you're doing well!

[SarahT]

The hose and timer is a great suggestion. Thank you.
I think I'll start co locating plants that want water from time to time so I could do a simple irrigation back-up. Even the overfeeding-fishNpond-sitter ought to be able to turn it on once a week (and I'd have an auto shutoff timer). With any luck, though, I'll achieve my goal: "you're on your own, plants."
Then again, I live in Florida, so it's more likely I'd be traveling the most in the hot and rainy season and the rain would be the irrigation. All problems can be solved!