Agastache
The hummingbird mints. Crush a leaf, smell licorice, watch a hummingbird lose its mind. Spiky, fragrant, unkillable in sun and dry soil. What's not to love?
From the prairie-tough natives to the compact modern hybrids — every species and cultivar we could track down, with the fragrance notes, the pollinator intel, and honest opinions.
Agastache is the genus that does everything. Hummingbird magnets, bee cafeterias, deer-proof, drought-tough, and fragrant enough to make your whole garden smell like a cocktail ingredient. The species range from the licorice-scented anise hyssop to the bubblegum-scented A. cana to the sunset-colored desert hyssops.
We're cataloging every Agastache species and cultivar we can find — the bullet-proof Blue Fortunes, the compact Kudos and Poquito series, the warm-toned hybrids that make hummingbirds fight each other, and the native species that belong in every prairie planting. Heights, spreads, bloom times, hardiness zones, and whether 'perennial' means perennial where you live.
The drainage question matters more than anything else with this genus. Most agastache will rot in wet clay faster than you can say 'well-drained soil.' The Korean mint hybrids handle moisture better than the western species. We'll tell you which ones need perfect drainage and which ones are more forgiving.
Agastache 'Acapulco Orange'
Clean, bright orange without the smokiness of some other cultivars. Handles heat without flinching. Into October in mild climates.
Verdict: Clean orange, no fuss, blooms into October. Sometimes simple is exactly right.
Agastache 'Acapulco Salmon & Pink'
Warm salmon-pink tones on a compact, well-branched plant. One of those color combos that works with everything and clashes with nothing.
Verdict: Salmon-pink that plays nice with every neighbor in the border.
Agastache foeniculum 'Alabaster'
White-flowered anise hyssop with lighter green foliage. Plant it next to the purple species and pretend you planned the whole thing. Same licorice fragrance, totally different mood.
Verdict: Same licorice scent, ghost-white spikes. Plant next to the purple one and look like a genius.
Agastache foeniculum
The OG. Native prairie herb with licorice-scented everything — leaves, flowers, the works. Make tea, season fish, or just stand downwind and inhale. Self-seeds like it's got a mission. Bees absolutely mob it.
Verdict: Your gateway drug to agastache. One plant and you'll want the whole genus.
Agastache rupestris 'Apache Sunset'
Rupestris selection with extra-vivid peachy-orange against purple calyxes. Crush the leaves — bubblegum-mint situation. One of those plants that stops people on the sidewalk.
Verdict: Rupestris cranked up to 11. The bubblegum-scented leaves seal the deal.
Agastache aurantiaca 'Apricot Sprite'
Doesn't even bother showing up until August, then blooms into October while everything else is calling it quits. Peachy-orange flowers that look incredible next to fall mums.
Verdict: The late arrival. Shows up in August, steals the show through October.
Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise'
Been around a while and still one of the most reliable warm-toned agastache you can plant. Soft golden-orange tubes over gray-green foliage. Blooms from late spring through fall without complaining.
Verdict: The reliable friend. Been doing its thing for years while trendy cultivars come and go.
Agastache 'Arizona Sandstone'
Softer, sandier tones on the same compact Arizona chassis. Less 'look at me' than Arizona Sun, more 'I belong here.'
Verdict: Arizona Sun's quieter sibling. Blends in beautifully while still pulling its weight.
Agastache 'Arizona Sun'
Compact enough for the smallest patio container. Orange-red flowers that glow in the sun. If you have a hot, dry spot the size of a dinner plate, this will thrive there.
Verdict: Got a hot spot the size of a dinner plate? This is your plant.
Agastache 'Ava'
Five feet tall. Five. Intensely red calyxes hold their color until hard frost — so it looks like it's blooming even when it's not. Takes a couple seasons to hit full size but then it's a monster in the best way. Another Salman introduction.
Verdict: Five feet of agastache with calyxes that refuse to fade. Give it two years and clear a path.
Agastache 'Black Adder'
Same parentage as Blue Fortune but moodier — dark buds open to smoky red-violet. Slightly less vigorous, noticeably more dramatic. The one you plant when Blue Fortune feels too safe.
Verdict: Blue Fortune went through a goth phase and came out cooler. The moody one.
Agastache 'Blue Bayou'
Walters Gardens took everything good about Rosie Posie and Peachie Keen — the compactness, the refinement, the ball-shaped habit — and made a blue one. Finally.
Verdict: They made a blue Rosie Posie. Took them long enough. Compact, refined, indigo.
Agastache 'Blue Blazes'
David Salman crossed foeniculum with Desert Sunrise and got this tall beauty. Glowing lavender-purple over pinkish calyxes. Back of the border material — three and a half feet of drama.
Verdict: Three and a half feet of lavender drama. Back-of-border royalty from High Country Gardens.
Agastache 'Blue Boa'
Terra Nova bred this and it won Colorado State's 'Too Good to Wait' award, which tells you everything. Deep violet-blue spikes for MONTHS. Not weeks. Months. Licorice-scented leaves. Pollinators treat it like a nightclub.
Verdict: Won 'Too Good to Wait' and they weren't kidding. Blooms so long you'll forget what it looked like without flowers.
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
The one everyone grows first. Sterile cross of anise hyssop and Korean mint — sturdy blue-lavender spikes, mildew-resistant, unbothered by life. RHS Award of Garden Merit. There's a reason it's in every garden center on earth.
Verdict: There's a reason every garden center stocks this. It's the Honda Civic of agastache — it just works.
Agastache 'Bolero'
Bushy, long-blooming, purple-pink, and the parent of a bunch of fancier cultivars that get all the press. Bolero doesn't care — it's just out here producing flowers and being reliable.
Verdict: The unsung parent. Half the fancy new cultivars owe their careers to Bolero.
Agastache cana
Texas native. Crush a leaf. That's actual bubblegum you're smelling. Not licorice, not mint — Hubba Bubba. Rose-pink spikes from late summer into fall. Will absolutely die in wet clay, so don't even try.
Verdict: Crush the leaf. Go on. It's bubblegum. You're welcome. Just don't plant it in clay.
Agastache 'Coronado'
Warm orange-salmon on a tidy mound. Built for rock gardens and xeriscapes where other plants cry for water. This one just sits there looking good.
Verdict: Warm salmon tones in a plant that thrives on neglect. Perfect xeriscape material.
Agastache 'Coronado Red'
Another David Salman gem from High Country Gardens. Bright red-orange on a compact mound that stays where you put it. Doesn't flop. Doesn't wander. Just blooms.
Verdict: Fire-engine red, sits tight, doesn't flop. David Salman knew what he was doing.
Agastache 'Cotton Candy'
Exactly what it sounds like. Sugary, cotton-candy pink spikes on upright stems. Not trying to be edgy or complicated — just unapologetically sweet.
Verdict: Zero pretense. Pure sugar-pink. Sometimes that's exactly what the border needs.
Agastache 'Desert Sunrise'
David Salman introduction. Three colors per spike — orange, pink, and lavender all at once. High Country Gardens legend. One of those plants that makes people stop and ask what it is.
Verdict: Three colors per spike. People will stop and ask. You'll pretend to be humble about it.
Agastache 'Firebird'
Tall, slender red-orange spires that hummingbirds will fight over. Lean soil and full sun — don't baby it. Gets leggy and weak in rich soil. Treats neglect as encouragement.
Verdict: Tall and fiery. Hummingbirds will throw elbows for this one. Don't fertilize — it likes to struggle.
Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee'
AAS Winner, and honestly the foliage is the whole point. Chartreuse-gold leaves that glow in the border — the lavender flower spikes are just a bonus. Gorgeous next to anything dark-leaved.
Verdict: You're growing this for the leaves. The flowers are just showing off.
Agastache cana 'Heather Queen'
Deeper rose-pink than the straight species, a little more compact. Same incredible bubblegum foliage. Late-season bloomer when you need color most.
Verdict: Bubblegum Mint turned up to a richer rose. Same ridiculous fragrance.
Agastache rugosa 'Honey Bee Blue'
Named honestly — the bees go completely sideways for this thing. Vigorous grower with strong blue-violet spikes. Plant it and just watch the show.
Verdict: Named for the bees. Trust the bees. They know what they're doing.
Agastache rugosa
The Asian cousin that can actually handle humidity and wet feet — critical because most agastache will sulk and rot in damp climates. Parent of Blue Fortune and a bunch of other hits. Glossy leaves, deep violet flowers.
Verdict: The reason we can grow agastache east of the Mississippi. Respect the parentage.
Agastache 'Kudos Ambrosia'
The whole Kudos series is a game-changer — genetically dwarf, downy mildew resistant, cold-hardy, and compact. Ambrosia is the peachy-apricot one and probably the prettiest. Dan Heims at Terra Nova bred these and they're basically bulletproof.
Verdict: The prettiest Kudos. Peachy, compact, mildew-proof, and cold-hardy. Dan Heims doesn't miss.
Agastache 'Kudos Coral'
Coral-pink version of the Kudos platform. Same DNA — genetically dwarf, mildew-resistant, and tough enough for zone 5 winters. Fits in a pot without looking cramped.
Verdict: Coral-pink on the bulletproof Kudos platform. Pot it, border it, whatever — it'll work.
Agastache 'Kudos Gold'
True yellow is rare in agastache and Kudos Gold delivers it on the usual compact, mildew-proof frame. Surprising color that stops people — they expect purple or orange, not gold.
Verdict: Yellow agastache. People will do a double-take. That's the whole pitch.
Agastache 'Kudos Mandarin'
Bright mandarin-orange on the Kudos frame. The warm-toned Kudos get hummingbirds; the cool-toned ones get bees and butterflies. This one gets hummingbirds.
Verdict: Want hummingbirds? Plant the orange Kudos. They can't resist it.
Agastache 'Kudos Red'
True red on a compact, mildew-proof plant. Oh, and the flowers and leaves are edible — slight licorice flavor. Toss them in a salad. Or don't. Just grow it.
Verdict: True red, compact, mildew-proof, and edible. The overachiever of the Kudos lineup.
Agastache 'Kudos Yellow'
Softer and butterier than Kudos Gold — more cream than chrome. Plant it next to a blue salvia and the combination will look like you thought about it for hours.
Verdict: Buttery soft. Plant it next to anything blue-purple and take full credit for the combo.
Agastache foeniculum 'Licorice White'
Pure white spikes on a plant that smells powerfully of licorice. Herb garden staple. Dry the leaves for winter tea and feel smug about it.
Verdict: White spikes, hardcore licorice scent. Dry the leaves, make tea, become that person.
Agastache 'Limerock Ruby'
Yes, there's a coreopsis with this name too. Different plant. This one's a deep ruby-rose agastache from Darrell Probst — the Big Bang coreopsis guy. He's good at making plants.
Verdict: Same breeder as Big Bang coreopsis. The man has range. Deep ruby-rose on a tidy mound.
Agastache rugosa 'Little Adder'
Everything good about Korean mint, crammed into a smaller plant. Fits in a pot, still delivers that deep violet-blue punch. Good option if Black Adder is too much plant for the spot.
Verdict: Black Adder energy in a container-friendly body.
Agastache 'Mango Tango'
Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens made this and it's absurdly compact — a dense little ball of dusky-orange flowers with rose calyxes that stick around. More orange than Peachie Keen, more compact than nearly everything.
Verdict: A tight little orange ball from Hans Hansen. More compact than you'd believe possible.
Agastache 'Meant to Bee Halo Amethyst'
Deep amethyst-purple on a full, well-branched plant that blooms well into October. Another Meant to Bee that's bigger and showier than the average agastache.
Verdict: Deep amethyst that blooms into October. The Meant to Bee series doesn't do subtle.
Agastache 'Meant to Bee Royal Raspberry'
Proven Winners went big here — three feet tall AND wide, raspberry-pink spikes, and the new leaves come in burgundy. It's a lot of plant. In a good way. Full, lush, and unapologetically bold.
Verdict: Three feet of raspberry. Proven Winners said 'go big' and meant it.
Agastache mexicana
Big leaves, lemon-scented everything, and honestly the flowers are an afterthought — little purple spikes. You grow this for the tea. It's that good. Gets tall and floppy if you let it.
Verdict: Not going to win a beauty contest, but the lemon tea will change your afternoon.
Agastache 'Morello'
Red-purple flowers are cool. Bronze foliage in cool weather is cool. Getting both on the same plant from June to October is unfair to every other agastache. Hardy and vigorous on top of it.
Verdict: Red-purple flowers AND bronze foliage? In the same plant? That's cheating and I'm here for it.
Agastache 'Peachie Keen'
Apricot-peach flowers sitting in raspberry-pink calyxes that persist for weeks after the petals fade. Looks like it's blooming long after it technically isn't. Dense, ball-shaped, ridiculously photogenic. Hans Hansen and Walters Gardens.
Verdict: Fake-blooms for weeks on those persistent raspberry calyxes. The garden's best optical illusion.
Agastache 'Pink Panther'
Bright pink and compact. Well-branched enough to look good without staking or fussing. One of those plants that just does its job without demanding attention. Then you notice it and go 'oh, right, that's great.'
Verdict: Doesn't demand attention, then you notice it and realize it's the best thing in the border.
Agastache pallidiflora 'Pink Pop'
A quieter native species selection. Soft pink flowers, gray-green foliage, no drama — just does its thing in well-drained soil. Under-used and under-appreciated.
Verdict: The introvert of the genus. Quietly beautiful if you give it good drainage.
Agastache 'Poquito Butter Yellow'
Butter-yellow spikes on a plant that barely reaches a foot tall. Fits in the smallest pot you own. Heat-tolerant and mildew-resistant like all Poquitos.
Verdict: An agastache for a windowbox. Somehow that works.
Agastache 'Poquito Dark Blue'
Deep blue-violet in the tiniest agastache body available. Front of border, patio pot, fairy garden — wherever you need intense blue in a small space.
Verdict: Deep blue in a body the size of a softball. Patio container perfection.
Agastache 'Poquito Lavender'
Soft lavender on the micro-miniature Poquito frame. Same mildew resistance. Same toughness. Just... small and lavender.
Verdict: Soft lavender in the fun-size format. Unreasonably charming.
Agastache 'Poquito Orange'
Poquito means 'a little' and these are basically Kudos shrunk further. The smallest agastache series on the market. Big orange flowers on a twelve-inch plant — it's silly in the best way.
Verdict: Twelve inches of bright orange fury. The fun-size agastache.
Agastache 'Purple Haze'
More flower spikes per plant than most hybrids — it's just covered. Lavender-blue over violet-red calyxes. Rigid stems make it a legit cut flower if you can bear to cut it.
Verdict: More spikes than any reasonable plant should have. Makes a killer cut flower, if you dare.
Agastache 'Queen Nectarine'
Soft peach over mauve calyxes — it's giving stone-fruit-in-the-garden energy. Another Hansen/Walters Gardens creation. Dense and rounded with that same refined habit they keep nailing.
Verdict: Stone-fruit vibes. Peach flowers, mauve calyxes, and that Walters Gardens refined habit.
Agastache 'Rosie Posie'
Walters Gardens nailed it here. Hot pink flowers, magenta calyxes that keep the color going after petals drop, and a compact ball-shaped habit that looks intentional. More refined than the older agastache that sprawled everywhere.
Verdict: This is what modern agastache breeding looks like. Tight, hot pink, and the calyxes extend the show by weeks.
Agastache 'Sienna Sunset'
Darker and richer than the typical apricot-orange crowd. More burnt sienna than bright orange — sophisticated in a way most agastache aren't trying to be.
Verdict: The one with a darker palette. Burnt sienna instead of bright orange. Grown-up vibes.
Agastache 'Summer Love'
Dense, vivid purple clusters packed so tight it looks photoshopped. Vigorous and well-branched — fills out fast. Blooms from June through September in most climates.
Verdict: So densely purple it looks fake. It's not. It's just that good.
Agastache 'Summer Sky'
Most agastache blues lean purple or violet. This one actually reads as blue — lighter, airier, more sky than storm. A nice change of pace in the lineup.
Verdict: Actually blue. Not purple pretending to be blue. Actual sky-blue. Refreshing.
Agastache 'Summer Sunset'
Broad, well-branched plant with orange-pink bicolor spikes. Gets a good 30 inches wide — give it room. Looks incredible weaving through ornamental grasses.
Verdict: Wide and warm. Let it weave through grasses and it looks like a professional planted it.
Agastache mexicana 'Summerlong Coral'
What happens when someone takes Mexican hyssop and says 'okay but make it pretty.' Compact coral-pink flowers that actually look good in a border. Blooms for ages.
Verdict: Mexican hyssop finally got a makeover. Coral, compact, and actually ornamental.
Agastache rupestris
The desert tough guy. Thread-fine gray-green foliage, smoky orange flowers popping out of lavender calyxes, and a general attitude of not caring about your terrible soil. The most beginner-friendly agastache species, period.
Verdict: Can't kill it, can't stop looking at it. Start here if you've never grown one.
Agastache aurantiaca 'Tango'
Little bitty thing, maybe 15 inches, but hummingbirds do not care about size. Peachy-orange tubes over fragrant foliage — they'll find it from two yards over.
Verdict: Fifteen inches of pure hummingbird bait. You'll see more hummingbirds than you thought existed.
Agastache 'Tequila Sunrise'
Warm orange-coral spikes on a mounded plant. Every pollinator within flight distance will show up. Pairs well with just about anything purple or blue.
Verdict: Plant it, add something purple nearby, and pretend you hired a designer.
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