Being a good gardener is often about being observant. Spotting the first signs of pest attack to following initiative when it comes to potting on young seedlings, your eyes often your best gardening tool! That’s also often the case when it comes to breeding brand new plants.. sometimes a new creation is not intended, but it happens by chance! ‘Crazy Fortune’ really suits the name, as it was noticed in the blink of an eye, and is set to become one of Europe’s “Next Top Plants”!
A superb landscaping plant, Agastache can hold their own against Salvia, Veronica and all the big boys! Agastache have chunky form, endless flowering and a sweet nectar that’s sipped by bees and butterflies on a regular basis!
How was this plant created?
It was the keen eye of home gardener, Harry ten Duis that we have to thank! A daily inspection of the plants in his garden during the summer of 2012 brought him a small surprise in his clump of “normal” Agastache plants. One stem looked kinda weird to him, it was splashed in white, which looked pretty damn awesome against the green colours!
As with any of these situations, Harry then had to take a risk. He had to remove the stem with white markings and see if it would root, and then grow on to give this same effect.. LUCKILY, it did and he passed it to new plant developers, Plantipp, who assured him this plant had a bright future!
It took a few seasons to bulk up enough to launch the variety, and it was first shown at the Dutch Plantarium fair in Boskoop, where a casual passer-by helped with the name… ‘Crazy Fortune’!
What’s different about this plant?
This isn’t just a regular variegated plant. The foliage of the original plant, ‘Blue Fortune’, gives off a purple iridescence each spring. When you combine that with the cream stripes of the new cultivar, you get a pretty awesome effect! The purple colour comes back again in the summer with the arrival of purple blossoms, giving another shot of that holy trinity of colours…!
Where can you plant Agastache ‘Crazy Fortune’?
You can plant Agastache in most different types of soil, and whilst they enjoy most soil, they’re also remarkably drought tolerant too. They’ll perform best in a sunny position, and attract bees, butterflies and beneficial insects. Their frothy flowers have a minty fragrance, as do the leaves. A nice garnish for a summer cocktail too, perhaps!
Plants are also deer and rabbit resistant, which means it’ll survive in most gardens, one way or another!
Where can you buy this plant?
Plants will soon be available in garden centres across Europe, and by mail order right now from https://www.qvcuk.com/
How to grow Agastache ‘Crazy Fortune’:
Flowering time:Â June to September
Location:Â Borders, patio pots
Soil:Â Any moist, well-drained soil
Light:Â Sun
Hardy: Survives down to -15C!
Care:Â Prune lightly as required, to keep shape
Size:Â 60cm (24″) high x 30cm (12″) in spread
Plant of the Month is sponsored by Plantipp, a company based in The Netherlands who handle the introduction of new plants into Europe (with Concept Plants doing the same job in North America).
See every Plant of the Month here.
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
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Anne McGarritt
Do snails eat this plant?