"Blue Fortune" is also easy to propagate by cuttings taken in spring, if you'd like more plants.

One of the great plants of the late summer garden. I have a row of them in front of a row of Calamgrostis 'Karl Foerster', and the combination is striking for a very long time. For a shorter period, in front of the Agastache is a mixed planting of Achillea 'Feuerland' and an unknown daylily in the same colors as the Achillea. A spectacular show in July to early August.

I love this plant! I even picked up a couple more at the Spring swap, and planted one in the butterfly garden, and the other in the back in the little veggie garden. The more the merrier!

You're right about the pollinators - they love it too. There is always about 2 dozen bumblebees on the big one.

Here's what mine looked like a week ago:

{{gwi:262825}}

I know exactly what you mean. I have a few of these poofy/fluffy agastaches, and it's amazing how many bees and bugs are on them. I rarely see any butterflies on them, which others have reported that they go crazy over! Just wait; the goldfinches adore this plant too ;)

Mine are covered in bees and little predator wasps--no butterflies. I was surprised at the bloom color. Gray. In no way could it be called blue. For such a large plant it has no presence. Just seems to fade into the background because of the color.

I am excited to hear the finches like it. However, if I should lose it to a wet winter, I think I'll try one of the other varieties.

bean counter, my A. 'Blue Fortune' are definitely a strong lavender blue that glow from across the yard. Is it possible you have the straight species? You might try buying a new plant and see if it's different. If not, perhaps it has something to do with your soil.

Other Agastaches are mostly western species and can be difficult to overwinter in the east where winters are wet. My A. cana often die, even though I have ideal eastern conditions, but are easily replaced and reach a good size by bloom time.

I tried Honey Bee Blue from seed last year, and had great germination and now have a nice clump. Can anyone give me a comparison of HBB and Blue Fortune? Sometimes it's so hard to tell from catalog pics/descriptions. These were the two I was considering, and went with HBB. Any opinion on which of the two is better?

Thanks,
Dee

I love to find the bees asleep on the blooms in early morning - they're almost cute, lol!

I have interviewed the color expert in my house and she definitely rates 'Blue Fortune' as a light blue with purplish overtones.

A new Agastache I grew from seed this year, A. rugosa 'Heronswood Strain' is a low-growing purple that's shown promise (waiting to see if it returns next year). Link, Ja?

For me this got a little too out of control so I moved it to my shade garden. It's very versatile that way and I needed more plants in that area. The blooms stay fresher and it doesn't turn into a monster, the shade keeps it in check. The bees do love it, but I haven't noticed finches attracted to it at all.

It seems to get a bit taller than I would like, but a good bloomer. I also have the yellow leaf one "Golden Jubilee" which is just as good or a bit better in my conditions. This comes true to form from seed so I have about 50 small ones from winter sowing to place in the garden next spring. They are in the nursery bed this season. Both these also self seed in the garden.

Planted a couple of the orange flowered ones this season, but don't know how they will overwinter yet. These don't seem to have the nice foliafe scent of the others.

George

If terrene's photo is blue/purple, I guess mine is too. It doesn't look blue/purple to me, it looks gray. Blue/purple is May Night, Walkers Low and Royal Candles. Blue Fortune looks gray :~( I planted it last fall because everyone on this forum was raving about it. It is certainly healthy and robust.

Anyway, I agree with George, foliage doesn't have much scent. To me it's just an ok plant, wouldn't rank it in my top 50. If my finches should love it the ranking could go higher. Kind of want to try some other varieties.

My plants have a fairly fragrant licorice smell. But Agastache 'Blue Fortune' is a hybrid, so maybe some of the scent of the foliage has been bred out.

The color looks like a lavender with grayish tones to me. Definitely not very blue so who knows why they called it "Blue Fortune", probably to capitalize on people's fascination with blue flowers. I'd like to try some of the other Agastaches too.

I'd rank it pretty high on my list because I think it's gorgeous as well as having very high wildlife value for pollinators. I don't often see butterflies on the Blue Fotune but last year I took this pic of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

{{gwi:262827}}

I love my Blue Fortune Agastache. I hope they overwinter for me. bean_counter_z4 you might want to try Agastache Black Adder. It is very lavender to me, with a lighter color and larger individual flowers than Blue Fortune. I started out with a very small plant and it has grown so much this year. I think it has less of the 'grey' color that Blue Fortune has, although Blue Fortune isn't that bad for me as it is against the backdrop of a large pine tree so the flowers stand out quite a bit where it is.

I planted Agastaches all over this year so I could find out where they will do well. I'm hoping to buy a bunch more next year as they're really great plants with long bloom times.

Thanks everyone!

It sure is bigger than I planned, but for the long bloom and easy maintenance is sure seems worth it!

I never knew it smelled like licorice. It does have an extreme scent of it if I crush a leaf between my fingers.

As for the color it is not really blue, it is more like the blooms on Russian Sage. The black adder was definately more blue than this.

My agastache are not doing very well. They seem a little stunted and the leaves are always yellowish. They are in full sun. Any ideas what might be bothering them? Do they like lime or more acidic?

Maybe they are getting too much moisture? Mine can take a fair amount of drought. Not too particular about soil.

Jen

I am a big fan of the three plants (at least...) in this hybrid rugosa x foeniculum group. I have all three growing in my garden in some numbers this year, and they are all worth having, long blooming, and all slightly different in the garden

'Blue Fortune' -- definitely a GRAYISH-blue lavendar, it reads as lavendar from a distance but is the lightest of these 3 plants in color saturation and much less bluish than the others.
'Black Adder' -- though somebody said this was lighter than Blue Fortune above, to me eyes this is a darker more saturated color. Seems to be a little taller and more open than Blue Fortune (though that could be the cultural conditions partly). Has been through 2 average z5 winters here so I would say that it is also z5 hardy
'Purple Haze' -- this outstanding plant so far is the best of the 3 for me and the one I would choose if I could only have one. It has a pinkish cast to the lavendar blue, the flowers are slightly smaller and the spikes look a little finer, but the old flowers self shed better so it keeps a tidier, less rangy appearance through the growing season. Fantastic new plant. Some sources say z6 hardy, some z5, has not been through a winter here yet so I don't know. But I think it is of similar breeding background.

For me 'Purple Haze' is one of the best 2 or 3 new plants this year.

I will try to take some pictures of each of these because they really all are a little different, all fantastic plants.

David

"For me 'Purple Haze' is one of the best 2 or 3 new plants this year"
And what are the "one or two" others, David, please?
I'd really be very interested to know!

'Black Adder' is a beauty indeed, and I'm desperately in search of 'Purple Haze'...
{{gwi:262829}}
Zephirine

Ah, bonjour Zephirine!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe some of the old regulars will/are returning to this forum. Now that would be great......

I keep promising pictures of these 3 plants but I have not managed them so far. No time after work, too long hours, harsh light too, one excuse after another.... ;o)

The other new winners?? In addition to Purple Haze? Well, no question, one of them is Salvia 'Eveline'. Very different from most hardy S x superba types, much taller, fine erect spires almost 2' tall, lovely bicolor deep and paler pink flowers. And it just keeps blooming and blooming, whether cut back or not. A FAHBULOUS plant. Supposed to be solidly z5 hardy.

I also love Digitalis obscura, new for me this year. I have come to like the "off-brand" foxgloves a lot. This one, which I got from Bluestone, kept on blooming most of the summer, nice fine foliage, and relatively large rusty orange-yellow-brown flowers (looks a lot better than it sounds).

And yes, Black Adder is a great plant too.

Seems like there are a few others but they escape me at the moment.

Thanks so much, David!
My garden-diary feels happy and excited when I start writing your name in it again, lol!
Not sure that your other favourites are available here though!
If I had to select but one of this year's new plants, I'd probably choose Coreopsis 'Limerock Ruby'...not a "new plant" for you I guess, but here in France, yes!
It's been a splendor here since early July, whatever rain and hard weather we might have, and did have!
And still covered with blooms today in spite of pouring rain and a bit of hale yesterday!
And such a rich colour, a deep and enlightening ruby indeed!
{{gwi:262831}}
With friendly thoughts from your distant nearly-twin!
Zephirine

In the fall, do you cut these back to the ground like a hosta or one eyes susans or just leave them be?

I think you can cut it back in late fall or early spring. I usually keep it for winter interest, and cut it in the spring. But if it looks too droopy and messy you can cut it earlier.

Thanks!

A couple reasons not to cut it back. Birds may glean the seeds overwinter.

When cutting dormant plants, if you should cut too low, you may destroy the buds of next season's growth.

Some marginal plants (like agastache in my zone) get some insulation from the standing foliage.

...so so I ever cut it back...ie in the spring?