9 Best Varieties of Agastache (Hummingbird Mint) for Your Garden

Agastache is a large genus of plants made up of bushy, flowering perennials. This perennial is commonly known as giant hyssop or hummingbird mint. These perennials suit many different garden styles but are very common in cottage-style gardens. If you would like to invite hummingbirds into your garden, adding a few agastache to your yard will help you achieve that goal. 

As with many perennials, this genus has new varieties added to it every year or so. While this is wonderful, it can make selecting the right variety for you tricky. Consider the size of the area you have available for this plant, as well as what colors may suit your style best. These plants are also excellent container plants.

If you are ready to look deeper into 9 of the prettiest and best varieties of hummingbird mint, let’s dig in!

About Agastache

Agastache is a perennial that I believe deserves a bit more credit. Yes, it is popular, but it is versatile, easy to grow, and should be in just about everyone’s gardens. 

This perennial goes by its genus name, giant hyssop, or, most commonly, hummingbird mint. It is known for its beautiful spikes of tubular flowers and its mounds of aromatic foliage. Originally a wildflower, agastache is native to North America.

Agastache makes a great addition to gardens for many reasons. First is the amount of pollinators it attracts to your garden. It doesn’t have the nickname “hummingbird mint” for no reason.

Secondly, this plant is very low maintenance once established in your garden. It requires little water and is a great plant selection for xeriscaping. Lastly, agastache shows great resistance to pests and diseases, including deer and other critters! 

‘Apricot Sprite’

	botanical name Agastache aurantiaca ‘Apricot Sprite’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 6-9

‘Apricot Sprite’ is a bright and bold choice for gardeners. This tender perennial blooms brightly in hues of peachy-orange and will last for a few weeks. The stalks of tuberous flowers bloom on top of a mound of green aromatic foliage.

This cultivar is a great perennial to add to a garden that needs an extra pop of color towards the end of summer and into the fall. The orange flowers will complement other autumnal plants, such as mums. Deadheading your hummingbird mint will help extend the bloom period, guaranteeing that your flowers will last well into the fall. 

‘Bolero’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Bolero’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 5-10

‘Bolero’ is a beautiful and bushy variety of agastache. The spikes of flowers are a perfect shade of purple-pink. Below these beautiful flower spikes are bronze-green leaves with the classic aroma of agastache leaves. 

‘Bolero’ will bloom for many weeks but benefits from removing spent blossoms. This small action will promote the production of new flowers. ‘Bolero’ is a bold variety for your gardens. Add this variety to an area of your garden with few flowers, or add it to your larger containers. The purple-pink flowers of this variety would pair nicely with coneflowers or salvia. 

‘Kudos Ambrosia’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Kudos Ambrosia’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 5-10

‘Kudos Ambrosia’ is a magical-looking plant. This perennial blooms in early summer and lasts into the fall. The flowers bloom in multiple colors, giving this plant a mystical appearance. With a mixture of cream, peach, and pink, this densely flowering perennial is well suited for most gardens with full sun. The foliage is oval to lance-shaped, mid-green, and aromatic. 

‘Kudos Ambrosia’ is a quick-growing perennial. Add this perennial to any of your perennial beds or pollinator garden. This variety would look beautiful mixed in amongst white flowers such as daisies where the multi-colors pop. 

‘Morello’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Morello’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3 feet
	hardiness zones 5-10

‘Morello’ is slightly more tolerant of cold winters than most of the other hummingbird mint varieties. This variety of hummingbird mint produces dense blooms. These flowers are a deep reddish pink and will last for weeks at a time. Don’t forget to encourage more blossoms and lengthen the overall bloom time of your plant. 

These deep flowers bloom on top of deep green foliage that has a licorice aroma when crushed. The dense flowers of this variety look stunning on the edges of raised beds. Add ‘Morello’ to an area of a garden that needs some brightening up, perhaps amongst plants with darker foliage. 

‘Poquito™ Butter Yellow’

	botanical name Agastache ‘TNAGAPBY’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10 inches to 1 foot
	hardiness zones 5-10

This dwarf variety of agastache is perfect for tiny garden spaces! ‘Poquito™ Butter Yellow’ comes as advertised. Blooming in a soft shade of yellow, these flower spikes will max out at one foot in height. The foliage of this variety is fine and aromatic. 

‘Poquito™ Butter Yellow’ won the Classic City Award from the University of Georgia Trial Gardens in 2019. The winners of this award are tested for growth rate, flower power, and resistance to diseases and insects. These characteristics make this variety a great option for a garden with frequent critter visitors or for a gardener who does not have much time to dote over a high-maintenance plant. 

‘Raspberry Summer’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Raspberry Summer’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3 feet
	hardiness zones 6-10

‘Raspberry summer’ is a lovely agastache variety that boasts raspberry pink flower stalks. The tubular flowers will bloom on top of bright green ovate or lance-shaped leaves with a classic minty aroma. Growing up to three feet tall, ‘Raspberry Summer’ will begin blooming in the summer and last through the fall. Don’t forget to deadhead to extend the bloom period. 

‘Raspberry summer’ is lovely planted in a perennial bed, but it also makes a great perennial for a container. Agastache is known to be rabbit and deer-resistant, so plant freely without too much worry! Try planting along a walkway or in front of some evergreen shrubs for a pop of color. 

‘Summer Glow’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Summer Glow’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 6-10

‘Summer glow’ is a showy agastache variety. While it is a bit on the shorter side, only growing to two feet tall, the flowers make it for it. The calyces of the flower are deep red, while the tubular flowers are light, buttery yellow, creating a beautiful two-tone look. The foliage is a deep green and has more of a licorice aroma than mint. 

To keep these flowers blooming all season, deadhead any spent spikes of flowers. This will help to promote a new round of blossoms. Add ‘Summer glow’ to your flower beds. Try planting them in a large grouping around a patio or sunny walkway. 

‘Summer Sky’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Summer Sky’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 7-10

If you are a purple flower fan, ‘Summer Sky’ is a great choice for your gardens. The tubular flowers are a beautiful periwinkle-purple, but the deeper purple calyces give the plant an extra bump of color and contrast for your gardens. The foliage is aromatic and accents the flowers perfectly while remaining attractive in summer. 

‘Summer sky’ is a great perennial choice in a garden that could use some vertical lines. This plant is beautiful no matter where you plant it and is especially lovely when planted en masse. Plant amongst cosmos or other orange flowers to accentuate the purple flowers of ‘Summer Sky.’ 

‘Summer Sunset’

	botanical name Agastache ‘Summer Sunset’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 6-10

‘Summer Sunset’ is a show stopper of an agastache variety. These flowers bloom in dreamy shades of orange, from peach to bright orange. Below the sunny blossoms is a nice mound of rounded and aromatic leaves. These flowers will bloom all summer long. 

‘Summer sunset’ would make a beautiful container plant, but it is also stunning in a perennial bed or planted in mass along a patio or walkway where the colors can be appreciated all summer long.