Agastache 'Pinky Pie'

Agastache 'Pinky Pie': Peachy Buds, Pink Blooms, Hummingbird Traffic

Apricot buds open to lavender-pink flowers, like a dessert tray that smells of anise and never goes stale. 'Pinky Pie' is a neat little mound that hummingbirds treat like the bakery. SAVE ME A SLICE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Agastache hybrid
• Common Name: Anise Hyssop, Hummingbird Mint
• Height: 46–51 cm (18–20 in)
• Spread: 61–66 cm (24–26 in)
• Flowers: Apricot buds open to lavender-pink flowers, set in mauve pink calyxes that extend the colour
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Green and fragrant, in a neat, mounded clump
• Features: Fragrant flowers and foliage
• Plant Patent: USPP 36,814

Where to Plant: Plant it at the front of a sunny border, along a dry walkway or in a container where you can see the hummingbirds up close. The flowers and foliage are fragrant, so a spot beside a path is a bonus. A small group of three makes a much bigger statement than a single plant.

Companion Plants: Oenothera macrocarpa stays low in front with yellow flowers in June and July. Delphinium Laser Beam™ brings blue spikes from early summer into early fall, a fresh partner for pink. Iris 'Immortality' adds upright leaves and white flowers in June, often reblooming from August to October. It's an easy, sunny mix.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in well-drained soil that's average to fertile. Drainage is the key to winter survival. In clay, mix in grit or plant in a raised bed so water doesn't sit around the crown. Water regularly while it settles in during the first season. After that it handles dry spells well. Leave the stems standing over winter and cut them back in spring when new growth appears. In zone 5, choose a warm, sheltered spot, since Walters notes it may need some winter protection there.

History: 'Pinky Pie' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from a 2019 cross between Agastache 'Coral King' and an unreleased breeding seedling.

Final Thoughts: Pop it in a sunny bed or a big pot. Deer leave it alone, drought barely registers. THE ONLY PIE THAT GETS BETTER EVERY YEAR.