Agastache 'Rosie Posie'

Agastache 'Rosie Posie': Hot Pink and Hummingbird Approved

Hot pink flowers in magenta-purple cups that hold their colour long after the bloom is done. 'Rosie Posie' is a whole bouquet that refuses to wilt. RING AROUND THE HUMMINGBIRDS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Agastache hybrid
• Common Name: Anise Hyssop, Hummingbird Mint
• Height: 46–56 cm (18–22 in)
• Spread: 61–76 cm (24–30 in)
• Flowers: Hot pink, set in magenta-purple calyxes that hold their colour after bloom
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Green and fragrant, in a dense, bushy mound
• Features: Fragrant flowers and foliage, edible flowers
• Plant Patent: USPP 25,857

Where to Plant: It's compact and wide, so it's great for the front of a sunny border, a hot slope or a big patio pot. Plant it near a window if you want to watch the hummingbirds.

Companion Plants: Sempervivum 'Kalinda' makes tight rosettes at the front and adds pink flowers from June to August. Delphinium 'Dark Blue/Dark Bee' stands behind with deep blue spikes in June and July, a cool contrast to pink. Symphyotrichum ericoides carries on with small white flowers from August to October. Give the planting full sun and good drainage.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Wet soil in winter is the most common reason Agastache doesn't return, so amend clay with grit or raise the planting a little. Water through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. It doesn't need rich soil or much fertilizer. Leave the stems up over winter to shelter the crown, then cut them down in spring once new growth starts. Walters officially rates it a zone 6 plant, so in zone 5 gardens give it a warm, sheltered, well-drained spot.

History: 'Rosie Posie' was bred at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, by Hans Hansen and Kevin Hurd, from a 2010 cross between Agastache 'Firebird' and Agastache 'Ava'. 'Peachie Keen' came from the same cross, so the two are siblings.

Final Thoughts: Plant it in sun, sprinkle a few edible flowers on dessert and keep the rest for the pollinators. POCKET FULL OF POLLINATORS.