Agastache x rugosa Crazy Fortune

Agastache 'Crazy Fortune' is a bright plant that bears an abundance of honey-rich flowers. It is easy to grow and quickly makes a big impact in sunny beds. Its beautiful variegated cream foliage is wonderfully aromatic. It flowers in abundance throughout summer, producing dazzling mauve-blue spikes. In one year, it forms a beautiful bushy clump. This low-maintenance perennial is perfectly hardy. It is a reliable choice, both in the ground and in pots.

Agastache 'Crazy fortune' is an excellent horticultural hybrid recently selected in the Netherlands. It is derived, among others, from A. rugosa, the hardiest of the approximately 30 species that make up the genus Agastache. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, related to sages, catmints, and mints.

From spring, it forms an erect clump with quadrangular, ramified stems. It reaches 70 to 80cm (28 to 32in) tall and 50cm (20in) wide, depending on the growing conditions. It has a beautifully bushy habit. Its lifespan is quite short, around 4 years, but it self-seeds quite easily. Its 5 to 6 triangular leaves bear toothed edges and are slightly sticky. They are located along the length of the flowering stems. They are a dark green-grey colour, randomly variegated with cream-white, with a lighter, velvety underside. When crushed, they release a scent of aniseed, mixed with mint and liquorice. The flowering lasts from June-July to September, in the form of upright, dense spikes, 8 to 10cm (3 to 4in) long. Each small lavender-blue tubular flower is surrounded by violet bracts. This particularly honey-rich and nectar-rich flowering attracts a large number of bees and butterflies. The above-ground vegetation dries out in autumn.

Agastache 'Crazy fortune' is very easy to grow. It thrives in sunny beds with a slightly wild appearance. It should never be allowed to dry out during the flowering period in hot regions. This carefree perennial adds height and substance to beds composed of grasses (stipas, eragrostis, pennisetums), herbaceous sages, large daisies, echinaceas, and asters. It also pairs very well with yellow or orange shrubby potentillas, for example.

The aromatic leaves of agastache can be used for infusions or to make tea, as well as to garnish and flavour salads and cooked dishes.