Agastache aurantiaca

‘Apricot Sprite’

APRICOT SPRITE AGASTACHE

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Apricot Sprite’
APRICOT SPRITE AGASTACHE

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Apricot Sprite’ is both highly decorative and useful.

Apricot-peach blooms constantly through summer & autumn

Apricot-peach flower trusses are constantly produced through summer and autumn.

Scented & edible – flowers & foliage

So this hardy, evergreen, shrubby perennial, with its richly coloured flowers, deserves a place in every garden, and in pots as well.
As ‘Apricot Sprite’ is worth featuring for its lovely scented, edible flowers and foliage alone, but there is so much more.

Bone hardy tough & low maintenance

But when you add in a tough, bone-hardy constitution, and water-wise, easy low maintenance, then there is no reason not to have it.

Water-wise & drought resistant

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Apricot Sprite’ is tough, and easily grown in Full Sun to Part Shade.
It is water-wise and drought resistant, so it is ideal for gardeners with limited water.

Frost hardy & forgives a wide range of soils

It is also hardy in frost and forgiving of a wide range of soils, including sandy, rocky and poor soils.
So ‘Apricot Sprite’ suits coastal areas, windy, hot and dry gardens.

Quick & easy from seed to flower

If seed is sown early indoors, the plants will flower happily in their first summer from seed.

Quick & easy to grow in the garden

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Apricot Sprite’ is a low maintenance plant, and largely untroubled by any pests and diseases.
The only work required is to cut the whole plant back hard before spring to encourage new growth and a neat shape.

Hardy perennial clump & quick growing

It is a hardy perennial clump, and quick growing for fast garden effect and flowers.

Delicious flavours in cooking

Agastache ‘Apricot Sprite’ is a special treat for the florists and cooks amongst us.
While flowers plus foliage are very useful in the kitchen, both being edible.
Use the minty-aniseed flavour in cakes, in salads (where the bright flowers really liven up the appeal), in drinks (puts a whole new dimension on a G&T or a Mojito), or to add an edible garnish to a meat dish or stir-fry (Agastache leaves go really well with pork).

Cut bunches of colour & aroma for vases

The apricot-peach flower trusses make good cut blooms for a vase indoors, where they last well.

Native honey-eater birds adore it

But for me it is the entertainment provided by our native honey-eating birds that make Agastache indispensable in my garden.
Our Honeyeaters acrobatically dance amongst the flowers and do fine impersonations of Hummingbirds, while sipping nectar from the flowers,

Months & months of bloom 

As Agastache blooms continuously for months on end, from late spring to autumn’s close, they are a blessing for all our useful pollinators.
They are an invaluable and long lasting food source for bees, butterflies, birds and other useful pollinators – so plant some in your veggie plot or orchard.

Rabbits & deer cant abide Agastache

And to top it all off – rabbits and deer cant abide the aromatic oils in the foliage and flowers of Agastache – so they tend leave them alone. Bless all Agastache.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY
Suits beginners & gardening with kids

Scatter seeds directly in the garden during spring or autumn
OR
Sow at any time indoors in a punnet, when suitable temperatures are available (18-20°C). You can use a heat mat.

Sow indoors for quick plants & early flowers: First sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then pat the seed gently into the surface of the mix. But do not cover because these seeds need light to germinate.

Now thoroughly moisten the mix by standing the punnet in a shallow water bath, and allow the water to percolate up to the mix surface from below. This will ensure the mix is thoroughly moist but not drenched.

Label the punnet with the name and date sown.

Place in a well lit position, but not in any direct sunlight.
Keep punnet moist by misting surface with a water spray bottle.

Temperature of 18-20°C approx. is best for rapid germination, but they are not particularly fussy. At optimum temperature seedlings emerge in approx. 14-28 days.
(An electronic heat bed is ideal but not essential, any warm, well-lit spot will do).

Seed Count: 30 seeds per packet approximately.
(We always aim to exceed the stated count and give a generous serve)

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