Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Blue Licorice

Agastache rugosa (ag-ah-STA-kee roo-GO-sah)

Family: Lamiaceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Korean Mint is found in the mountains regions of eastern Asia, especially along stream banks. Plant it in the full sun in well-draining soil. Its showy, purple flowers are especially attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It tolerates browsing from deer and rabbits and is drought tolerant. Mass plant or group it in the front of a border, in small spaces, walkways, or in cottage gardens.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 45 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Agastache 'Black Adder'
Fills a similar niche Agastache 'Astello Indigo' Monarda punctata Petunia x hybrida

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf value
Fragrant
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Light green, simple, opposite, dentate leaves have a licorice fragrance when crushed.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Showy
Flower detail
Flowers bloom from mid-summer to early fall.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Erect square stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
East Asia
Wildlife value
Flowers are pollinated by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Pollinators; Predatory Insects
Food & Medicine

Uses (ethnobotany)

A plant used in Chinese herbalism.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Riparian; Small Space; Walkways
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Garden for the Blind; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags
#stream banks #pollinator plant #border planting #border front #flowers mid-summer #fragrant leaves #nectar plant mid-summer #flowers late summer #nectar plant late summer #deer resistant #hummingbird friendly #low maintenance #fragrant flowers #butterfly friendly #nectar plant fall #flower arrangements #summer flowers #fall flowers #bee friendly #flowers early fall #cutting garden #wildlife friendly #HS303 #short lived #walkway #beneficial insects
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Rabbits
Particularly resistant to
Deer and rabbit resistant

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.