Add color and attract pollinators with a lovely, aromatic mint relative that blooms throughout summer into fall.
Agastacheis a group of hard-working perennials, most of which are heat and drought-tolerant.
They are showy and long-blooming plants with spikes of flowers atop tall, herbaceous stalks.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Their foliage is also fragrant, with scents of licorice and mint.
There are more than 30 species in the agastache group, most native to North America.
There’s also some debate over how to pronounce the genus.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
To enjoy the fragrance yourself, plant agastache along walkways and garden borders.
The pretty summer bloomer would look beautiful in a cottage garden among thefoxgloves,lavender, and roses.
Or, could flourish in a prairie garden alongsideconeflowersandcoreopsis.
Credit: Rachel Husband / Getty Images
Agastache plants are also great forxeriscapingand low-water gardens.
When you are ready, dig a hole twice the size of the plants original pot.
Tease apart the roots and place the new plant in the hole.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Position the plant so it sits at the same level it did in its former pot.
If you are planting more than one plant, space them about 18 to 24 inches apart.
The seeds willstratify over the winterand should germinate in the following spring.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Agastache Care Tips
Agastache plants are tough perennials that need little care once established.
In the right conditions, it will return year after year and bloom all summer long.
Light
Agastache prefers full sun (at least 6 hours a day).
Credit: David Cavagnaro
When grown in only partial sun, your agastache may not grow as tall or produce as many flowers.
Agastache plants are relatively drought-tolerant once established.
(They are, after all, successfully grown in high-desert conditions.)
Credit: Denny Schrock
Provide consistently moist soil for your seeds and seedlings, but water mature plants only occasionallyif at all.
Do not water agastache when temperatures dip below 50 Fahrenheit.
During the winter months (in most regions), the agastache root system will go dormant.
Credit: Denny Schrock
This chill period is essential for the stratification of new seeds.
Some gardeners also find the blue-flowering varieties of agastache to be slightly more tolerant of moist conditions.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is not necessary with agastache.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
In fact, it may cause more harm than good.
Too much fertilizer (or overly fertile soil) may cause your plants to grow leggy and floppy.
Overfertilization could also encourage root rot.
Credit: Denny Schrock
First, pinch back new growth in early spring to encourage a more lush plant.
Next, deadhead spent blossoms (from spring to midsummer) to extend the blooming season.
Just avoid deadheading flowers past midsummer as it may cause tender new growth that will not survive the winter.
Credit: Denny Schrock
In the fall, cut your plants back to 4 to 6 inches above the soil.
you could also do this in early spring, but be careful not to damage new growth.
Fill the container halfway with a well-draining all-purpose potting mix and add your plant.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Continue filling the pot and tamping the soil until the plant is secure.
Place the plant in a sunny location and keep the soil evenly moist until your agastache is established.
After that, water only when the top 3 inches of soil is dry.
Do not fertilize in the fall and winter.
How to Propagate Agastache
Agastache is easily propagated via seed or division.
To divide your agastache, wait until spring and carefully dig up your plant.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Replant the sections approximately 18 to 24 inches apart.
Place the seeds on the surface of a soil-less growing medium and seal them inside a plastic bag.
After stratification, sow the seeds about 1/4 inch deep in a seed-starting mix.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Keep the soil warm and evenly moist until seedlings emerge (about 2 to 3 weeks).
Keep the seedlings in a sunny spot to continue growing.
you’re able to also sow agastache seeds directly in the ground in the fall.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Powdery mildew and root rot can be an issue for agastache plants.
These issues and other fungal diseases are exacerbated by overwatering, overcrowding, and overly moist conditions.
Arguably the most common throw in of agastache, anise hyssop grows best in Zones 4-10.
Credit: Bill Holt
It features vibrant purple flower stalkswhich often bloom the first season after plantingand licorice-scented foliage.
The finely textured foliage can grow to 4 feet tall in zones 4-9.
‘Ava’ hyssop
Agastache’Ava' is a hybrid betweenA.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
The raspberry-red flower spikes have deeper red calyxes, which remain colorful even after flowers fade.
This makes ‘Ava’ a good choice fordried flowers.
Both the foliage and flowers are fragrant.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Ava hyssop grows 4-5 feet tall in zones 5-10.
‘Bolero’ hyssop
Agastache’Bolero' is a compact hybrid with rose-purple bloom spikes throughout the summer.
The bronzy gray-green foliage exudes a minty fragrance when crushed.
Credit:Rob Cardillo
It bears foot-long spikes of purplish-pink blooms throughout the summer on plants that grow 3-4 feet tall.
It’s hardy in Zones 5-10, but may needwinter protectionin Zone 5.
It is hardy in zones 4-10.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
As its name suggests, it scoffs at heat and humidity.
It grows 3 feet tall and wide in zones 5-10.
The gray-green foliage has a distinct pink-bubblegum fragrance.
It is available from seed or as started plants.
‘Purple Pygmy’ grows 16-24 inches tall in zones 5-10.
‘Raspberry Summer’ hyssop
Agastache’Raspberry Summer' has raspberry-pink blooms from the start of summer into fall.
These plants are less tolerant of moisture and are more demanding of good drainage.
‘Raspberry Summer’ hyssop is hardy in zones 6-9.
‘Sinning’ hummingbird mint
Agastache cana’Sinning' grows to only 18 inches tall.
Its lavender-rose tubular flowers appear nearly all summer in zones 5-10.
‘Summer Love’ hyssop
Agastache’Summer Love' is a hybrid betweenA.
Hardy in Zones 6-10, it’s a good choice for hot, humid climates.
Unlike many hyssops, the flowers and foliage have little fragrance.
It grows to 3 feet tall.
Tutti Frutti hyssop
Agastache barberi’Tutti Frutti' bears raspberry-red flowers on foot-long spikes.
The gray-green foliage emits a lemony scent.
It grows 3-6 feet tall in zones 6-10.
Like agastache, bee balm prefers full sun and well-drained soil.
It is drought-tolerant once established but prefers a little extra moisture during the hottest summer months.
Dianthus
Dianthusmakes a great low-growing companion for agastache in zones 3-10.
The low-maintenance perennials love full sun and, like agastache, can thrive in poor soil and low-water conditions.
Milkweed is hardy in zones 3-9.
Everything here is designed to thrive in full sun and bloom through heat, humidity, and drought.
That said, it will readily self-seed when left to grow in favorable conditions.
To prevent agastache from spreading rampantly, deadhead the blooms before they wither and drop seeds.
They will, however, self-seed new plants each season if allowed.
Its a little confusing given the common names, but no.
While also a member of the mint family, hyssop is a part of theHyssopusgenus.
The most likely culprit of droopy leaves is underwatering.
