Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’

Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’ is a dwarf perennial with scented green leaves and long blooming upright flower spikes of soft lavender-coloured flowers.

The flowers are long-lasting and bloom over a long period from mid-summer to the end of autumn.

The leaves are fragrant and can smell like anise, mint, licorice, or lemon depending on the species. Lavender Martini has a lemon-mint flavor if I had to put my finger on it.

Compact plants ideal for containers, rockeries, dry gardens and cottage gardens. Attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects.he flowers are also edible. Drought and heat tolerant, will grow in poor soils. Also known as

Agastache is especially known for its long flowering period.

👨‍🌾GARDENING TIPS👨‍🌾: Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’

• • In gardens, it’s valued for its fragrant foliage, bee-attracting flowers, and drought resistance.

  • In the kitchen, the leaves can be used in herbal tea.

Learn more about gardening with Agastache:

• • ENG: Gardening with Agastache
  • FR : Culture et Utilisation de Agastache

The Tale & The Botany: Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’

Agastache is a genus of the mint family, Lamiaceae – one of the largest and most aromatic plant families, which also includes mint, basil, sage, thyme, and lavender.

Like many members of Lamiaceae, Agastache species share the typical traits of square stems, opposite leaves, and strongly aromatic foliage.

They tend to have upright growth, often forming clumps that can range from small, compact forms to tall, striking plants over a meter high.

These aromatic oils not only give them culinary and herbal value but also help deter some herbivores.

Agastache is especially known for its long flowering period.

Their flowers are heavily visited by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, which makes Agastache one of the most reliable pollinator plants for gardens.

In dry climates they are especially popular because they are drought-tolerant once established and handle heat very well, provided the soil drains well.

Floral Morphology: Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’

Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’ is a hybrid giant hyssop notable for its tall, elegant spires of lavender-purple flowers that emerge from darker, wine-tinted calyces.

This cultivar is particular, presenting a subtle contrast between cool-toned flowers and warm-toned calyces, which remain showy even after the corollas fade, extending the plant’s visual interest.

Additionally, the hybrid retains the culinary fragrance typical of the genus, even though it was bred primarily for ornamental use. And this is very special indeed.

The combination gives the inflorescences a layered, two-tone effect—soft lavender softened by the warm undertones of plum and burgundy.

Like other Agastache ( and mint and sage and… everyone else in the family) , it has square stems, opposite leaves, and rich aromatic oils, dominated here by lemony and mint-like compounds that lend the plant its sweet, clean fragrance.

The flowers are tubular, arranged densely along terminal spikes, and are produced continuously from midsummer into autumn, creating an extended nectar season attractive to pollinators of many types.

Bees, butterflies, and, in suitable climates, hummingbirds (not in our parts, but elsewhere!) visit the blooms abundantly, drawn to both the persistent nectar supply and the elongated corolla shape.

The plant’s floral architecture—tight verticillasters stacked along a rigid, upright stem—allows for repeated visits and efficient cross-pollination.

Though bred primarily for ornamental use, the hybrid retains the culinary fragrance typical of the genus and fits naturally into herbaceous borders, pollinator gardens, and drought-tolerant planting schemes.

Reproductive Biology

Agastache ‘Lavender Martini’ reproduces sexually through seed, though hybrid cultivars do not always come true to type and are generally propagated vegetatively to preserve their characteristics.

Division of mature clumps in spring or early autumn ensures genetic fidelity, while softwood or semi-woody cuttings root readily under warm, bright conditions.

The flowers are hermaphroditic, containing both functional stamens and pistils.

Pollination is entomophilous, carried out largely by bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies, and other nectar-seeking insects.

The genus is strongly melliferous, and cultivars like ‘Lavender Martini’ provide abundant nectar over long periods, making them valuable for sustaining pollinator communities late into the season.