Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): Pollinator Magnet with Licorice Scent

Overview

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), also called licorice mint, is a clump-forming perennial native to the northern Great Plains and Midwest. Its lavender-blue flower spikes and anise-scented foliage make it a favorite of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while the leaves brew a delicious, caffeine-free tea.

Botanical Description

Upright stems 60–120 cm tall, square in cross-section (mint family). Leaves are opposite, ovate, 3–7 cm long, toothed, gray-green, with a strong licorice/anise fragrance when crushed. Flowers are tiny, tubular, lavender-blue, densely packed in terminal spikes 5–15 cm long, blooming June–September.

Taxonomy

Family:	Lamiaceae (lay-mee-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Agastache (ah-gas-TAH-kee)
Species:	foeniculum (fen-IK-yoo-lum)
Synonyms:	A. anethiodora, Hyptis marathrosma, Hyssopus anethiodorus, H. anisatus, H. foeniculum

Growing Conditions

• Light: Full sun.
• Soil: Well-drained, average to lean; dislikes wet clay.
• Water: Low to moderate; drought-tolerant once established.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 4–8.

Uses

Culinary: Leaves and flowers for tea, salads, jellies, baked goods. Medicinal: Traditional use for coughs, digestion, colds. Ornamental: Long-blooming perennial for borders, meadows, herb gardens. Wildlife: Exceptional pollinator plant.

Cultivars

'Blue Fortune' (sterile, long-blooming), 'Golden Jubilee' (chartreuse foliage), 'Alabaster' (white flowers), 'Black Adder' (dark purple, hybrid).