BICOLOR
Botanical name/common name: Agastache rupestris/”Sunset” hyssop, Licorice mint hyssop
Color specifics: Coral and lavender flowers, fine-leaved gray-green foliage
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Fragrance: Root beer, licorice fragrance
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Also: “Coronado Red” (crimson and maroon; new at Welby Gardens in north Denver);
“Acapulco Salmon and Pink” (pink and orange); “Ava” (pink and deep raspberry); “Desert Sunrise” (pink and orange);
PINK
Botanical name/common name: Agastache cana/Texas hummingbird mint
Color specifics: Deep pink flowers
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Fragrance: No fragrance found
Attracts: Hummingbirds (also said to repel deer and rabbits)
Also: A. cana “Sinning,” (15 inches high, Plant Select); A. cana “Rosita” (1 to 3 feet)
ORANGE
Botanical name/common name: Agastache aurantiaca “Coronado”
“Coronado” hyssop
Color specifics: Yellow-orange flowers, silvery leaves
Height: 15 inches
Fragrance: Licorice
Attracts: Butterflies and hummingbirds
Also: A. aurantiaca “Orange Flare” (called exceptional for drawing hummingbirds) Agastache “Shades of Orange”; and more in the “Coronado” series (Plant Select).
BLUE
Botanical name/common name: Agastache “Blue Fortune,”/Blue Fortune hybrid hyssop
Color specifics: Dark blue flowers, deep green leaves; especially cold-hardy
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Fragrance: Light mint
Attracts: Bees and butterflies
Also: Agastache rugosum, “Korean” hyssop, with its intense mint scent; Agastache “Black Adder” (violet-blue and grape bi-color flowers). Blue agastaches are a good choice for wetter gardens.
