Agastache Kudos Coral

The Agastache 'Kudos Coral' is part of a series of recent hybrids, selected by an American nursery for their improved hardiness. This variety, particularly floriferous, blooms tirelessly during a long summer period. It forms a well-compacted and leafy clump adorned with an abundant flowering of upright spikes adorned with small flowers of intense coral-red. The dark foliage is especially disease-resistant. Robust, relatively hardy and undemanding, this perennial undoubtedly brings a touch of lushness to cottage borders. It will thrive in the sun, even in cool climates, in well-drained soil that is not too dry to support its beautiful flowering.

The Agastache hybrid 'Kudos Coral' is a plant of the lamiaceae family, related to salvias, catmints, and other thymes. This herbaceous perennial, relatively hardy for an agastache, forms an upright clump with highly branched stems, 35 to 40 cm (14 to 16in) tall and wide depending on growing conditions, giving it a more bushy and compact habit than other species. It produces triangular leaves, 5 cm (2in) long, with dentate edges, dark green, which grow along the length of the angular floral stems. When crushed, they release a scent of mint mixed with lemon. The flowering period extends from May-June to September, without interruption, in the form of upright, thin, and dense inflorescences. Each small tubular flower, ranging from pink to coral-red, is surrounded by red-purple bracts, and the colour does not fade in the sun. This particularly nectar-rich and nectar-bearing flowering attracts a large number of bees and butterflies. This cultivar 'Kudos Coral' also stands out for its good resistance to downy mildew, even in humid climates.

Easy to grow, Agastache 'Kudos Coral' thrives in sunny borders with a slightly wild appearance, but also in pots on the terrace. In hot regions, it should never lack water during flowering. A carefree perennial, it adds height and substance to borders composed of grasses (stipas, eragrostis, pennisetums), herbaceous salvias, tall daisies, echinaceas, goldenrods, and asters. It also pairs very well with yellow or orange shrubby potentillas, for example.

The flowers and highly fragrant leaves of Agastache are edible and delicious in salads or fish dishes.