'Red Happiness' Giant Hyssop is a hybrid cultivar with red flowers in the mint family. It grows 1-2.5 feet tall and nearly as wide. Plant in full sun in lean to average, loamy garden soils as long as the drainage is good. Good drainage is essential for this as wet winter feet in poorly drained soils will do this plant in. This plant adds an airiness to the garden with fine foliage and spikes of tubular red flowers. The bloom time is from late spring to frost and the minty scent is a pollinator magnet. Use 'Red Happiness' near the front of the perennial border in butterfly or pollinator gardens. Raised beds work great to provide good drainage. They can also be grown in containers placed on the patio so you can enjoy the hummingbirds and pollinators that visit it. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Leaf spot, powdery mildew, and rust are occasional problems. Poorly drained soils will lead to crown rot. More information on Agastache .
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.
Fills a similar nicheAgastache 'Acapulco Orange'DianthusDianthus chinensis x barbatus
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lance-shaped fragrant green leaves are 1.75 inches long to 1.25 inches wide with dentate to entire margins