The Blue Fortune Agastache, otherwise known as the Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ or Anise Hyssop ‘Blue Fortune’, Giant Hyssop ‘Blue Fortune’, Agastache Aurantiaca ‘Blue Fortune’, is a well known perennial plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this perennial will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green-colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this Blue Fortune Agastache Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
The basic care guidelines you need to remember for your Blue Fortune Agastache are the following:
- Water: The Blue Fortune Agastache needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
- Light: Keep your Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Blue Fortune Agastache in from moist but well-drained to well drained soil, made from clay, loam, chalk and sand.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Blue Fortune Agastache is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Blue Fortune Agastache belongs to the Lamiaceae family, and the genus Agastache, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ (ah-gas-TAH-kee).
As with other Agastache’s, the Blue Fortune Agastache is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The Blue Fortune Agastache is a plant native to the Hybrid of USA and Asian plants.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Blue Fortune Agastache is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 11 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Blue Fortune Agastache is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, how big does the Blue Fortune Agastache actually get? What should you expect in terms of size? Let’s dive right in…
The Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ can grow up to 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) and 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm). This is why this plant is considered a relatively medium size for a perennial, so it’s best to keep that in mind since it will likely impact where you want it to be placed.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful compact, and rounded shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 12″ – 18″ (30cm – 45cm) free so the Blue Fortune Agastache can spread to its best extent.
Watering
In terms of watering, the Blue Fortune Agastache is a fairly simple plant to take care of. This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water. Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep the Blue Fortune Agastache soil from moist to well-drained, as these are the right conditions for this plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, and occasionally dry properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the Blue Fortune Agastache since with it; you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Blue Fortune Agastache prefers to have soil with good drainage, and occasionally dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Blue Fortune Agastache requires soil with loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Placement
In terms of light & exposure, the Blue Fortune Agastache, requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions. Most experts agree that this perennial will do well as long as you keep it in full sun and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Blue Fortune Agastache will die back to the ground every year. But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the summer (mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Blue Fortune Agastache to flower around the summer and in the fall months from July to September (summer), and from October to December (fall). In particular, this perennial is well known for its long bloom season, flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Blue Fortune Agastache produces some beautiful blue, or blue and purple/lavender flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Blue Fortune Agastache have a beautiful green color during most of the year. In particular, they have a simple arrangement with an opposite organization in its leaves. You can expect the leaves from your Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ to be around (1-3 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Blue Fortune Agastache is well known for being able to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for dry soil, drought and animals like deer and rabbit, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Blue Fortune Agastache? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ owners agree that this perennial will look great in most Mediterranean, cottage and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they compliment well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, city and courtyard, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Blue Fortune Agastache’s best location within your garden is in banks and slopes, and in beds and borders; others use it for landscaping in a container, mass planting, border, cutting garden, or a rock garden.
Companion Plants
Blue Fortune Agastache’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Miscanthus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Geranium will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Blue Fortune Agastache to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
