It's a Winner Agastache for San Diego!

I love Agastaches but have not had much luck with them in a couple of places I have gardened. I didn't expect much with the new Agastache I tried, and have been very pleasantly surprised. Agastache 'Purple Haze' has grown well in La Mesa, CA. When I lived in Athens, GA the only one that worked was Agastache x 'Blue Fortune'. It was the only Agastache that tolerated clay soil and not the sharp draining soil that most Agastaches prefer. This was bred in Holland by Gert Fortgens of Arboretum Trompenburg. But compared to hot colors of western Agastaches, it was not satisfying. A fairly insipid blue actually. Agastache 'Blue Fortune' is a hybrid of two species, Agastache rugosa, from Korea, and Agastache foeniculum, from the US. While it was nice to grow ONE Agastache, I wanted more. 

Gardening in San Diego I thought would be a slam-dunk for Agastaches and I was so excited! Unfortunately, my trials with them have resulted in my thought that many of the hot-colored species need winter cold in order to thrive and come back. I have the well-drained sandy loam neutral soil that they like, but for some reason, they do not thrive. As I continue to learn I will certainly be updating with new information. I would like to try Mexican species as it would seem to me that they do not need as much cold. I know several of the hybrids that I lust after grow well north of us in Sonoma and are used to beautiful effect by Kate Frey in her wildlife gardens. Is it the increased winter chill or is it the additional precipitation? Only time and further experimentation will tell, and I am happy to be doing the research. Agastache 'Purple Haze' is also a hybrid of Agastache rugosa and Agastache foeniculum. This plant was bred by Coen Jansen who has a small nursery in the Netherlands. He breeds our prairie plants into exciting and tough hybrids, and then he sells them back to the US. The plant has been long-blooming for me. It started in the summer and is still throwing out blooms in February. I really like the color of the flowers. Photos do not do it justice. It is a much richer purple and it appears washed out in photos. The size of the plant has increased by about six times since I planted it a few months ago. The foliage is substantial and very healthy even crammed into a garden bed. No disease or insect problems of any kind. Such a robust plant! Here is a photo.