Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ after I brought it home on 5-5-18, #435-2.
Mexican Hyssop, Hummingbird or Dwarf Hummingbird Mint
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’
ah-gas-TAH-kee
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ is part of the Kudos™ Series by Terra Nova Nurseries. It produces lemon-gold flowers in large compact spikes May through September.
The genus, Agastache J.Clayton ex Gronov., was first described by John Clayton and Johan Frederik Gronovius in Flora Virginia in 1762.
As of 12-19-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 22 species in the Agastache genus. It is a member of the plant family Lamiaceae with 232 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
Hyssop is a Greek word meaning “many spikes” or “many ears of corn” giving reference to their flower spikes.
I contacted Terra Nova to see if I could get more information about this cultivar. The program director’s reply is at the bottom of the page.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ in the bed next to the side porch on 5-17-17, #443-4.
I bought this Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ from The Kuntry Store (a local Amish Store) on May 5, 2018. My sister and niece came down from the city that day to go plant shopping at the four local Amish greenhouses. I decided we should also stop and their store southeast of town and I was glad I did or I wouldn’t have found this plant. Ummm… Anyway, I am pretty sure I bought this plant at the store. I know I bought two plants there. 🙂
I planted it in the north bed next to the porch where I had the Agastache ‘Black Adder’ in 2014 which did not return in 2015. Possibly this area does not have adequate winter drainage for Agastache. I will need to improve upon that.
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ flowers on 5-17-18, #443-5.
The flowers of the Agastache are attractive to hummingbirds and humans. Hopefully, the deer won’t come and snack on this plant like they did the Agastache ‘Black Adder’.
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ on 6-3-18, #452-1.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Lamiaceae
Origin: Hybrid by Terra Nova Nurseries
Zones: USDA Zones 5a-10b (-20-35 ° F)
Size: Approximately 18” tall, 20” in flower.
Light: Sun to light shade
Soil: Average, well-drained
Water: Average
Agastache are very easy plants to grow and will reward you with nonstop flowers right up till frost which attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Their scented leaves also make them nice to work around.
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’. 2 more pots, on 6-7-18, #455-1.
My sister came down and we went plant shopping again on June 7. I bought two more Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ from Wildwood Greenhouse and put them with the first one. Kind of makes me wonder if I actually bought the first one from Wildwood…
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ on 6-14-18, #459-5.
They look much better in a group than a single plant. More plants fill in a space better and you get a lot more flowers for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ flowers on 6-14-19, #459-6.
Agastache needs very well-draining soil and especially won’t tolerate wet feet during the winter. Information online says they need full sun, but they may appreciate a little afternoon shade when it gets really hot in the summer. We shall see.
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ on 7-29-18, #487-2.
There isn’t a whole lot online about growing this cultivar right now as it is fairly new. There are plenty of sources online, though, if you want to give it a try and can’t find it locally.
I contacted Terra Nova to see if I could get information about the parents of the Kudos Series. I received a reply from the program director. He said he felt like they needed a more dwarf and garden-friendly Agastache and he set out to find a way to do that. While hiking in the Eastern Oregon desert, he said he saw a weedy-looking plant happily growing in a crack of a rock which he identified as Agastache cusickii. He showed the plant to a breeder at Terra Nova and told her that was the plant he wanted her to work with. Apparently, her first thoughts weren’t something he could publicly share. After five generations, the Kudos Series was born.
The goals were shorter plants, increased hardiness, and clear colors. He said they got all three of those things plus excellent mildew resistance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Agastache, given the name, `Kudos Gold`. Agastache is in the family Lamiaceae. This new variety is one of several selections of new Agastache using hardy and dwarf Agastache species in the breeding lines to provide hardiness and compactness. The new cultivar is a selection from the cross between the proprietary seedlings Agastache 101-3 (unpatented), as the seed parent, and Agastache 42-wt (unpatented), as the pollen parent. The new cultivar was selected for its compact habit, hardiness, and gold flowers in dense heads. (from an email from the Program Director of Terra Nova).
He said, “The background does contain Agastache aurantiaca and Agastache cusickii, but remember, the parents listed are the 4th generation of breeding work done at Terra Nova.”
Agastache ‘Kudos™ Gold’ was a great performer for me in 2018 but I didn’t find any when I went plant shopping in 2019.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.
The Belmont Rooster 