Agastaches – also known as Mexican or giant hyssops – have become increasingly popular in recent years. They're much-favoured by influential Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf for their long summer flowering season and their aromatic foliage. However,
‘Blue Fortune’, a hybrid between the American
A. foeniculum and the Korean
A. rugosa, is the only one to have received the
Award of Garden Merit. And now there’s a variegated version, the first ever variegated agastache.
Crazy Fortune (‘Atenduis’) has the same tightly packed tiers of violet-blue flowers from July to September, but with the added bonus of foliage that is streaked and edged in white which does not scorch.
The result is that the whole plant has a slightly silvery look while the leaves retain the anise aroma of ‘Blue Fortune’.
Not only that but, as the new young leaves open immediately below the crowded spikes of blue buds, the white areas of the leaf are tinted purplish-pink creating a very harmonious look. The pink fades to white as the foliage matures.
Agastache Crazy Fortune was found on his nursery in the Dutch province of Drenthe by grower Harry ten Duis in the summer of 2012.
It was trialled on his nursery for four years to ensure that the variegation was stable and is now launched in Britain. eaches 70-80cm in height, shorter than ‘Blue Fortune’ as a result of its variegated leaves,
Crazy Fortune enjoys full sun and is drought tolerant once established. It’s popular with butterflies and bees.
You can order plants of
Agastache Crazy Fortune (‘Atenduis’) from
Hayloft Plants.
*Please note, the contents of this blog reflect the views of its author and do not constitute an official endorsement by the RHS
