Agastache – Rose Mint

Agastache ‘Rose Mint’ (Agastache pallidiflora ssp. neomexicana) is a perennial in the mint (Lamiaceae) family that grows 45–60 cm tall and wide. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil, tolerating heat and dry conditions once established. It has fragrant green foliage with a minty-anise scent and produces showy spikes of rosy-pink flowers that bloom from summer into autumn, attracting bees and butterflies. Hardy to light frost but best given protection or grown as an annual in cooler parts of New Zealand.
Agastache is used as a culinary herb with edible flowers and aromatic leaves that add minty, anise-like flavour to teas and desserts; not strictly used as a medicinal herb but part of the agastache species that has traditional uses for easing respiratory complaints and digestive discomfort; and as a companion plant it is excellent for drawing in pollinators and beneficial insects.