United States Edition

Anise hyssop      

Agastache foeniculum

Anise hyssop is part of the Agastache genus and its scientific name is Agastache foeniculum.

The flowers are purple spikes that are Ioved by butterflies, bees, wasps, hummingbirds etc. and smell great. It reseeds but is easy to pull out where you don’t want it. It’s a great plant for a large open area and likes a lot of sun. The plant has an upright growth habit. 1

The leaves and flowers smell and taste of anise and can be used to make tea. The flowers are pretty in a fruit salad. 1

This variety has an anise fragrance and typically grows to 1.0 cm (0.39 inches imperial) in diameter, blooming in the following colours:   Electric purple and   Cadmium orange and   Pigment blue. The mature flowers take a single form, with an approximate petal count of 2. The leaves of this particular variety normally show as   Dark pastel green and   Android robot green colour. It is a flowering edible herb / flower that typically grows as a perennial, which is defined as a plant that matures and completes its lifecycle over the course of three years or more. Anise hyssop is known for growing to a height of approximately 3.96 feet (that's 1.22 metres in metric) with a forb habit. This plant tends to bloom in late summer, followed by first harvests in mid summer. This plant is a great attractor for butterflies, bees, and birds, so if you are looking to attract wildlife Anise hyssop is a great choice.

Mexico is believed to be where Anise hyssop originates from.

Typically, Anise hyssop is normally fairly low maintenance and can thus be quite easy to grow - only a basic level of care is required throughout the year to ensure it thrives. Being aware of the basic growing conditions this plant likes (soil, sun and water) will result in a strong and vibrant plant.

This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Anise hyssop have been kindly provided by our members.

How to grow Anise hyssop

  • Partial Sun

    OR +
  • Full Sun

    +
  • Medium

Seeds require light to germinate, so barely cover at room temperature to germinate 5-30 days. Keep soil moist but not sopping. Use bottom watering or keep the pot in an open baggie or under a humidity dome. Some sources believe using bottom heat will speed germination. Others recommend that this seed be cold stratified for two months before planting – sow them in a paper towel that has been wet and wrung out. Fold towel up and put in a baggie. Put baggie in fridge for two months, then put in indirect light (or try “Outdoor Treatment”). When germination starts, unfold the towel and cut it into small squares. Gently press each square against wet potting soil to “plant.” Keep pots in an open baggie until seedlings grow through the paper towel and are established. Don’t put in direct sun. Transplant to 1 ft/.25m apart in rich soil and full sun or partial shade – stalks will be stronger in full sun. It might need staking in partial shade. Many sources claim this plant is good in dry situations, but I read a report on its experimental use as part of a green roof community, and it died in the second year without any supplemental water. This makes sense because mints typically like water. Best place for mints in the garden is by a leaky faucet. This perennial generally blooms the second year from seeds but might bloom the first year if it is happy. Cut it back by 1/3 after blooming, and it will get bushier and rebloom. Plants get 3-6ft/.60-1.5m tall. Anise hyssop is hardy from zone 5 to 9 (down to -28.8° C (-20° F)). It self-seeds readily and its roots travel underground, but it is not too aggressive. Deer tend to avoid eating this plant, so a back border of anise hyssop can be effective in keeping them away. Rabbits love it, though.

Try to plant in a location that enjoys partial sun / full sun and remember to water moderately. Use Zone 5 - Zone 9 as your guideline for the appropriate climate for this plant. Anise hyssop requires a loamy, clay or sandy soil with a ph of 6.0 - 7.8 - it grows best in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil. Keep in mind when planting that Anise hyssop is thought of as hardy, so this plant will survive close to or on freezing temperatures.

Growing Anise hyssop from seed

Soil temperature should be kept higher than 16°C / 61°F to ensure good germination.

Transplanting Anise hyssop

Harvesting Anise hyssop

Young leaves are good for tea or salads and Flowers make a nice garnish

Companion plants for Anise hyssop

These plants have been known to grow well alongside Anise hyssop so consider planting:

  • Anise hyssop Rose

  • Anise hyssop loves Globe thistle

    Globe thistle's stiff upright stems and blue flowers team nicely with anise hyssop.

  • Anise hyssop loves French hollyhock

    Grows at about the same height and has the same growing requirements as hyssop.

  • Anise hyssop loves Creeping speedwell

    Good foreground plant selection for hyssop - the colour range of veronica also blends nicely with this plant.

  • Anise hyssop Brussels sprout

Repellent plants for Anise hyssop

These plants will not grow well with Anise hyssop so avoid planting these within close proximity:

Common Anise hyssop problems

These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect Anise hyssop plants:

Other names for Anise hyssop

Licorice mint, Drop plant, Agastache, Blue giant hyssop, Giant hyssop, Mexican hyssop

Agastache foeniculum (Pursh) Kuntze

Misspellings: Droplant, Dropplant

Anise hyssop care instructions

How long does Anise hyssop take to grow?

These estimates for how long Anise hyssop takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

Footnotes

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