PLANT CARE & CHARACTERISTICS

Light Requirements: Full Sun. Prefers at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight to maintain sturdy stems and maximize blooms.

Water Requirements: Low to Moderate. Once established, it prefers a "soak and dry" approach. Avoid overwatering or keeping the roots soggy.

Drought Resistance: High. It is very heat-tolerant and handles dry spells with ease once its root system is mature.

Soil Type: Well-drained is essential. Thrives in average, loamy, or sandy soils. It is more tolerant of clay than other Agastache, but "wet feet" in winter can be fatal. If your garden has heavy clay, consider planting it in a raised bed or adding grit to the planting hole to ensure the crown doesn't rot during the dormant season.

Deer Resistance: High. The strong anise/licorice scent of the foliage is a natural deterrent for both deer and rabbits.

Pest/Disease Resistance: Excellent. Generally pest-free. Occasionally susceptible to powdery mildew if air circulation is poor or if the plant is stressed by extreme drought.

Pollination: Top-Tier Pollinator Plant. It is a massive draw for honeybees, native bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

STERILE HYBRID

The most important thing to know about the Agastache 'Blue Fortune' is that it is a sterile hybrid. Because it is a cross between two different species (Agastache rugosa and Agastache foeniculum), it does not produce viable seeds.

1. Appearance of the "Seed Heads": Even though the plant is sterile, it still produces flower spikes that look like they are forming seeds after the lavender-blue petals fall off.

• The Spike: The flower head turns into a stiff, brown, "bottlebrush" structure.
• The Nutlets: Inside the small calyxes (the tiny cups that held the flowers), you might find very small, dark, shriveled "nutlets." However, these are essentially empty shells.

2. Lack of Germination

• Non-Viable: If you were to harvest these shriveled nutlets and try to plant them, they would not germinate.
• No "Volunteers": Unlike the native Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop), which can aggressively drop seeds and fill a garden bed with "babies" the following year, 'Blue Fortune' will never produce volunteer seedlings.

3. Benefits of Sterility- Because the plant isn't "wasting" its energy on creating reproductive seeds, it offers two major advantages for your garden:

• Extended Bloom Time: It can bloom continuously from July through the first hard frost because it never receives the hormonal signal that its "job is done" (which happens once seeds are successfully produced).
• Low Maintenance: You don't have to worry about it becoming an invasive nuisance or weeding out unwanted seedlings in the spring.

4. How to Propagate- Since you cannot grow 'Blue Fortune' from seed, if you want more plants, you must use vegetative methods:

• Division: Dig up a mature clump in early spring and split the root crown.
• Cuttings: Take softwood cuttings in late spring before the plant begins to flower.

PRUNING 

1. Spring Cleanup (The "Big Cut"): Unlike many other perennials, you should not prune 'Blue Fortune' in the fall. This plant is sensitive to "wet feet" and rot; leaving the old stems intact through winter helps channel water away from the dormant crown.

• Timing: Wait until mid-to-late spring when you see new green shoots starting to emerge at the base of the plant.
• Action: Cut all of last year’s dried, brown stems down to about 2–3 inches above the ground.
• Caution: Be careful not to damage the tender new growth emerging from the soil.

2. Early Summer "Pinching" (Optional): If you want a bushier plant with more flower spikes (though slightly smaller ones), you can perform a "pinch."

• Timing: Late spring or early summer, when the plant is about 12 inches tall.
• Action: Snip off the top inch of the main stems.
• Result: This encourages the plant to branch out, resulting in a sturdier, more compact shape with an increased number of flower spikes.

3. Deadheading (Mid-Summer to Fall): 'Blue Fortune' is a sterile hybrid, so it won't drop seeds, but removing spent flowers still has benefits.

• Action: When a flower spike begins to turn brown and look "ratty," cut the stem back to the next set of leaves or a side bud.
• Benefit: This keeps the plant looking tidy and can often trigger a second, lighter flush of blooms later in the season.
• Note: Many gardeners choose not to deadhead the very last round of blooms in late fall, as the dried "bottlebrush" spikes provide great architectural interest in a winter garden.

PRUNING SUMMARY