Description
If you’re looking for a plant that practically glows in your Connecticut garden while attracting hordes of hummingbirds and butterflies, Blue Fortune Hummingbird Mint (AGASTACHE FOENICULUM ‘BLUE FORTUNE’) is absolutely calling your name. This stunning hybrid hyssop produces tall spires of vibrant blue-purple flowers that seem to hover above the foliage like tiny fireworks, and I promise you’ll spend hours mesmerized watching the activity around these blooms. It’s one of those magical plants that transforms a garden from pretty to absolutely thriving with life and color.
What it looks like
Blue Fortune is a real showstopper with its architectural presence and those gorgeous spiky flower clusters. The plants grow upright and sturdy, typically reaching 2 to 3 feet tall, with slender stems clothed in soft, aromatic foliage that’s a lovely medium green. The real star, though, is those delicate lavender-blue flower spikes that emerge throughout the growing season. Each tiny individual flower sits along the spike like little beads on a string, creating an airy, almost ethereal effect that’s far more elegant than you’d expect from such a tough plant. The foliage has a wonderful anise scent when you brush against it—one more reason gardeners fall head over heels for this one.
Growing it in your garden
Here’s what I love about Blue Fortune for us here in New England: it’s incredibly easy to grow and absolutely thrives in our Connecticut conditions. This plant wants full sun—and I mean truly full sun, ideally six to eight hours daily—so give it a prime spot in your garden where it gets plenty of light. It’s not terribly fussy about soil, though it does prefer something on the well-draining side. If you’ve got heavy clay like many of us do in Connecticut, work in some compost or sand before planting to improve drainage. Once established, it’s remarkably drought-tolerant, which means fewer worries during our dry spells and less supplemental watering during summer. Plant it in spring once the danger of frost has passed, and it’ll settle in quickly.
Through the seasons
Blue Fortune earns its place in the garden with reliable seasonal performance. The plants emerge in late spring and quickly develop that lovely mounding form, then burst into bloom by early to mid-summer—and here’s the beautiful part, the flowers just keep coming through late summer and into fall. In our Connecticut climate, you’ll typically enjoy blooms from June right through September, sometimes even into October if we have a mild autumn. This long bloom season means you get months of hummingbird and butterfly activity in exchange for minimal effort. As fall approaches and temperatures cool, the flowers fade gracefully, and you can cut the plants back hard for winter. They’ll return reliably each spring, making them a dependable perennial that gets more established and robust each year.
Where it shines
Blue Fortune absolutely loves a sunny border, especially in mixed perennial beds where its vertical form provides wonderful textural contrast. I particularly love it in pollinator gardens where you want to create a true haven for hummingbirds and butterflies—it’s magnetic for both. It’s also perfect in cottage gardens where it mingles beautifully with other summer bloomers, and it works wonderfully in containers if you don’t have the perfect garden spot. Many of my customers use it along pathways where you can brush past the foliage and enjoy that anise scent, and it’s equally at home in more contemporary, minimalist designs where its architectural quality shines. It’s even useful for cutting—the flowers hold up nicely in a vase for several days.
Perfect companions
Blue Fortune plays well with so many other plants! I love pairing it with purple coneflowers (ECHINACEA) for a purple theme, or combining it with golden-yellow rudbeckias for a vibrant contrast. It looks stunning next to tall salvias or other airy bloomers that won’t compete with its graceful form. Ornamental grasses like feather reed grass add wonderful movement and texture alongside it, and silver-foliaged plants like artemisia or dusty miller really make those blue flowers pop. For a sophisticated look, underplant it with catmint or lavender at its base. In a hummingbird garden, combine it with bee balm, cardinal flower, and trumpet vine for maximum nectar appeal.
Care tips
Blue Fortune is genuinely low-maintenance once it’s established, which is one reason experienced gardeners adore it. Water regularly your first season to help it develop a strong root system, then you can back off considerably—it prefers life on the drier side rather than soggy. Deadheading spent flowers will extend the bloom season, though I often let some flowers fade naturally for the seed heads, which birds enjoy in late fall. Cut plants back hard in late fall or early spring before new growth emerges; they respond beautifully to this pruning and will come back fuller and bushier. It’s not prone to serious pest or disease issues in our climate, which is wonderful. If plants get leggy mid-summer, you can pinch them back to encourage bushier growth.
Quick facts
- Hardiness Zone: Zones 5-10 (reliably hardy throughout Connecticut)
- Mature Height & Spread: 24-36 inches tall, 18-24 inches wide
- Bloom Season: June through October
- Light Requirements: Full sun (6-8 hours minimum)
- Water Needs: Low to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
- Available at: Both our retail and wholesale locations