Anise hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
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Summary
Neither an anise or a hyssop, this member of the mint family has the characteristic square stems of its tribe. Its spikes of tubular lavender blooms, appearing July-September, offer nectar for long-tongued bees, butterflies and hummingbirds well into fall. Earlier in the season, deadheading of spent flowers can keep those blooms coming. This unfussy native prefers full sun, and will spread via rhizomes or self-seeding. Like others in the mint family, it’s deer-resistant, and once established, drought tolerant as well. At the SBG, you’ll find a top nectar-producing cultivar, ‘Black Adder’, with distinctive dark purple flower spikes.
More Details
FAMILY
Lamiaceae (Mint)
BLOOM TIME
July-August
FLOWER
Lavender to purple
MATURE SIZE
2-4 feet
LIGHT REQUIREMENT
Full sun to part shade
SOIL CONDITIONS
average, well-drained soils
NATIVE STATUS
PA Native
Ecosystem Connections
Anise hyssop is highly attractive to native bees, honey bees and butterflies. In fact, it’s so attractive to bees that mass plantings were established throughout the Midwest and Canada as ‘honey plants’ to support apiaries. Pollinated flowers produce smooth, oval-shaped fruit or seeds (technically nutlets) that can be eaten by birds.