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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): in full bloom in August |
Summer’s
in full swing by August – at least here on Colorado’s Western Slope. Mother
Nature’s Montrose Garden is transitioning from the ‘mostly yellow and orange’
of late spring to a combination of pinks, purples and yellows. Of course, the pollinators are busy and in
need of pollen and nectar. Which brings
us to our Plant of the Month, Agastache foeniculum.
The scientific name is pronounced: ag-us-TAH-kee fen-IK-yoo-lum.
Agastache foeniculum
is known by a number
of common names including Blue Giant Hyssop, Anise Hyssop, Lavender Hyssop, Licorice
mint, Blue Giant-hyssop and Fragrant Giant Hyssop. It is native from the
Pacific Northwest to the upper Midwest. It
grows in mountain meadows and forest openings (from about 6500 to 8000 ft.) on
the Front Range in Colorado. [1] Fortunately, it also grows well in home
gardens.
Despite
its common name, Blue Giant Hyssop is not a true hyssop (the true hyssops –
genus Hyssopus - are herbal plants from Europe, the Middle East and
Central Asia). But both the true Hyssops and Agastache
foeniculum are members of the Mint family (Lamiaceae). In general,
this family is easy to grow and has attractive flowers and foliage. Many members
are also fragrant, and the family is known for both its culinary and medicinal
uses. But what many gardeners don’t realize is the importance of this family
for bee pollinators, especially for long-tongued bees (like the Bumble Bees)
and also for butterflies.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum):first year |
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): second year |
Anise
Hyssop is an upright, bunching, herbaceous perennial plant (above). It grows 2-4
ft (0.6 – 1.3 meters) tall and 2-3 ft. wide.
It grows from a shallow taproot and has short rhizomes (underground
stems). The clumps grow slowly, enlarging every year.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): foliage |
The
foliage of Blue Giant Hyssop is medium to dark
green and very neat appearing. The stems
are square (typical of Mint family) and sturdy, but not coarse-looking. Stems
usually remain upright without staking (unless there’s a serious windstorm, of
course). The leaves are opposite, oval or heart-shaped and toothed, with a
slightly white tinge beneath (due to plant hairs). The entire foliage gives off
a lemony or anise-flavored scent when rubbed or crushed. In fact, the leaves and flowers can be used as
a flavoring (more below).
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): flowering plant |
Anise Hyssop blooms from early summer to early fall, depending on local conditions. It can start to bloom from mid- to late-July in our Montrose garden. And the bloom period lasts 6-8 weeks, or even a little longer. The plant is very attractive in bloom (above) – always provokes comment from garden visitors.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): flowers |
The
individual flowers are small, pale lavender or blue and arranged in densely-packed
terminal spikes. The flowers are typical for the Mint family, tubular with two lobed
lips and four protruding stamens (above). The flowers have no scent. But the
masses of small flowers are very attractive to bees, particularly Bumbles Bees
and European Honey Bees, but also Halictid bees, digger bees, leaf-cutting bees
and masked bees. The flowers also attract
butterflies, moths and hummingbirds.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): great pollinator plant! |
Blue
Giant Hyssop is a great pollinator plant, providing both high-quality nectar
and pollen. There is always some pollinator or another at our blooming plants –
dawn to dusk. In fact, this plant is often planted specifically for its pollinator
habitat value, including in agricultural settings. The small seeds are eaten by seed-eating birds
– like finches – in the fall.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): easy to grow |
Agastache foeniculum
is an easy
perennial to grow (USDA Zones 3 to 8 or even 10). It thrives in full sun to
part-shade, in a wide range of soil textures and pHs (5.8 to about 8). The only real requirement is that the soil
have good drainage. So, if you have heavy clay, consider growing it in a large
container. Also, forego the heavy
mulches; just use a light layer of organic mulch or none at all. And no fertilizer needed, except when grown
in containers. Even then, ½ strength
does in spring is all that’s needed.
Anise
Hyssop is pretty much pest and disease-free, at least in our garden. I suspect slugs and snails might be tempted
by new foliage in gardens wetter than ours.
Established plants have some drought tolerance. We water them once a
week during the hottest part of summer in the drier areas of the garden. They are surprisingly heat and drought tolerant!
But they also can take fairly regular
water, including overspray from a lawn, as long as the soils drain well.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): tolerates regular water |
Anise
Hyssop is easy to grow from seed, but it does need some cold to germinate well.
Seeds are easily collected once the flower spikes turn tan-brown. Simply cut
off the stems, invert in a paper bag, and let the seed pods entirely dry. The small seeds will fall out into the bag,
ready for planting. Alternatively, just
pull apart the flowering spikes and sprinkle onto your prepared seed bed. Or, if you’re really pressed for time, just
let Mother Nature spread the seed around for you. This plant re-seeds nicely on bare ground!
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): seedlings |
The
easiest way to plant from seed is to sprinkle Agastache foeniculum seeds
in a prepared bed in late fall. Alternatively, sow seeds in pots that are kept
out of doors. Don’t cover the seeds
with medium, as they need light to germinate. If you seed into containers, be
sure to keep the medium moist through the winter and early spring. The seedlings are distinctive (see above); they
will appear when the soils warm up in spring. If seedlings show up in inopportune places,
they are easy to pull. Seedlings can
also be transplanted.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): in mixed perennial bed |
So,
how to use Anise Hyssop in the home garden?
It is such an attractive perennial, throughout the growing season, that
it’s appropriate for many garden situations. We like to plant some around a vegetable
garden to attract the pollinators. It is right at home in an herb or medicinal
garden (more below). But it is equally appropriate mid-bed or as an accent in a
mixed perennial bed. It’s pretty enough
to plant in your front yard!
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): lovely with Goldenrods |
We
like the late summer contrasts of purple-pink Agastache foeniculum, Verbena
stricta (Hoary
Vervain), Prairie Ironplant (Vernonia fasciculata), Purple
coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Bee balm (Monarda spp.) and
the bright yellows of goldenrods and rabbitbushes (above).
Plant
some near a seating area, where you can crush the leaves to release their
unique aroma. And be sure to plant enough Anise Hyssop for your culinary
uses. The flavor is complex and hard to
describe: anise with a hint of lemon and other spices. Anyway, the leaves and flowers make great
flavoring agents and have been so used for a long time.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): use as flavoring agent |
Make
refreshing hot or iced tea from fresh or dried leaves. The leaves have their
strongest flavor as the flowers begin to turn tan, but the leaves can be picked
anytime. Or make a cordial or syrup with the leaves. Flowers can be used to
flavor baked goods, salads and other foods. In fact, you’ll be surprised at the
number of recipes online. Just search ‘Anise
Hyssop recipe’ to find something to your liking. If desired, leaves can be dried (like any
mint) for later use.
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| Anise Hyssop syrup |
Agastache foeniculum has
a long history of medicinal use. Hot tea
made from the leaves is good for colds, coughs, congestion and fevers. [2] Cooled, this infusion was used to sooth lungs
sore from coughing and for allergic skin reactions. [3] A poultice of leaves and stems was
traditionally used to treat burns. The
scent of Anise hyssop is said to ‘lift one’s mood’ when burned as incense or used
in potpourri. At the very least the aroma
– in tea, food or potpourri – is very pleasant and refreshing!
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| Easy to make tea from Anise Hyssop. |
There
are a number of cultivars of Anise hyssop as well as hybrids with other Southwestern
native Agastache species and with Korean hyssop (A. rugosa). If your garden needs more color than the
straight species, you might look into the cultivars and hybrids. Many of these
are also attractive, good pollinator plants and available in the nursery trade
(including online). [see ref. 4]
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| Agastache 'Blue Blazes': a hybrid of Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) |
In
summary, Agastache foeniculum is a good-looking, easy-to-grow native
perennial that does well in many gardens.
It is lovely massed or as an accent plant. It brings a long bloom
season, whether grown in the ground or in a container. It is an excellent
pollinator plant whose complex aroma makes it a good flavoring agent. So, order some seeds (or get some from a
friend’s garden) and plant this fall, for a great addition to next year’s
garden.
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| Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): a good choice for many gardens |
__________
- Ackerfield, J.: Flora of Colorado. Brit Press, 2015.
- http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Agastache+foeniculum
- https://www.phillyorchards.org/2016/09/15/keep-calm-and-anise-hyssop-agastache-foeniculum/
- https://wimastergardener.org/article/anise-hyssop-agastache-foeniculum/
For a
gardening information sheet see: https://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-agastache-foeniculumpdf
For more
pictures of this plant see:
For plant
information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
_________________________________________________________________
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com
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