Fragrant Agastache

A selection of Agastaches with fragrant foliage. Like the Agastache foeniculum whose leaves have a scent and flavor similar to anise, or the Agastache rugosa with its mint-licorice fragrance, these perennials have pleasantly aromatic foliage that is edible and used in cooking or herbal medicine. These plants also offer a generous summer flowering that attracts bees. The botanical species have green foliage and mauve to violet-blue or white flower spikes, but also shades of red to pink in the Agastache mexicana 'Red Fortune' for example. Several varieties and hybrids have been selected for their pink flowering ('Cotton Candy'), more lavender tones ('Blue Fortune'), or a deeper purple, or for their more compact habit. Some have beautiful golden foliage (Agastache fenouil 'Golden Jubilee') or variegated foliage ('Crazy Fortune'), both aromatic and decorative.

In the south, aromatic agastaches are water-hungry, but they are more tolerant in northern regions, although excessive watering in winter can be fatal for them. Planted in a meadow-like garden or simply in a summer border, they offer a remarkable spectacle.