Agastache aurantiaca 'Tango'

Hummingbird Mint 'Tango' (Agastache aurantiaca)

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Botanical name: Agastache aurantiaca‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall • Bloom color: Tangerine orange • Pollinator value: Tubular flowers built for hummingbirds; also worked by long-tongued bees

Slender tubes of true tangerine orange on a compact plant that keeps flowering from midsummer until hard frost. Orange is uncommon in a perennial bed, and it is the color hummingbirds find first. The tubular flowers are built for hummingbirds and are also pollinated by long-tongued bees. Small enough for a container or the front of a border, which is not true of most of the genus.

2nd Photo Credit: Leena Kultanen

‍

Botanical name: Agastache aurantiaca‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall • Bloom color: Tangerine orange • Pollinator value: Tubular flowers built for hummingbirds; also worked by long-tongued bees

Slender tubes of true tangerine orange on a compact plant that keeps flowering from midsummer until hard frost. Orange is uncommon in a perennial bed, and it is the color hummingbirds find first. The tubular flowers are built for hummingbirds and are also pollinated by long-tongued bees. Small enough for a container or the front of a border, which is not true of most of the genus.

2nd Photo Credit: Leena Kultanen

‍

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Agastache aurantiaca

Cultivar: 'Tango'

Common Name: Hummingbird Mint

Native: Cultivar

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Low

Bloom Time: Summer to fall

Bloom Color: Tangerine orange

Pollinators: Bees; Butterflies; Hummingbirds

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 12"-15" x H 15"-18"

Soil: Well-drained; lean, gritty soil

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 5 to 10

Spread Habit: Clumping

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: Arizona-New Mexico Mountains; Madrean Sky Islands (chiefly Mexico)

Growing Notes

Full sun and gritty, sharply drained soil. This one has southwestern parentage and is the least forgiving of winter wet in the group, so drainage matters more here than cold hardiness. A gravelly spot or a raised bed suits it. Space about 12 inches apart.

  • Water: Medium

  • Sun: Full to Partial Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; lean, gritty soil

  • Mature size: W 12"-15" x H 15"-18"

Maintenance

Leave the stems standing through winter and cut back in late spring. Do not cut it back in fall, and do not mulch over the crown; both hold water against it. Deadhead to extend bloom. In a wet winter, it can be short-lived, so it is worth letting a few seedlings stand as insurance.