Ornamental · Lamiaceae
Hummingbird Mint
Agastache foeniculum
Park it somewhere bright with sharp drainage, and anise hyssop turns into a summer-long magnet for bees and hummingbirds.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–8
2–5 ft · 0.6–1.5 m
Overview
Ever wonder how anise hyssop landed the hummingbird mint nickname? It's because the flowers keep bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds dropping by from June clear through September. Yes, it's part of the mint family, but it doesn't bully the bed like its cousins do. What you get instead are tall spikes of gentle blue-lavender bloom rising over leaves that give off anise and licorice the moment you brush against them.
If you've got a sunny spot, this is about as easygoing a perennial as they come. It's hardy from zone 4 to zone 8 and shrugs off cold down to -29°F (-34°C), and once it's settled in it barely asks for anything. It rides out dry spells without fuss and the deer and rabbits that munch on softer plants tend to leave it alone.
Give it some space and soil that drains, and one little clump grows into a 2 to 5 foot (60 to 150 cm) tower of bloom. The flowers feed pollinators all summer, and if you leave the seed heads standing, finches will work them into winter, so really, it keeps earning its spot long after the flowers fade.
Care
The short version: full sun and soil that drains are basically the whole deal, because this plant hates wet feet way more than it minds a dry stretch. Water deeply but let the top half of the soil dry out between drinks, go easy on the feeding or skip it, and deadhead through summer to keep the flowers coming.
Light
Give anise hyssop full sun and you'll get the sturdiest stems and the most flowers. It'll handle a bit of afternoon shade, but skimp on light and it goes floppy and stingy with blooms, and shade also lets in the mildew it'd normally shrug off.
Water
Water deeply, then just leave it be. Let the top half of the soil dry out before the next drink, which usually works out to every 7 to 14 days. Once it's established it handles drought no problem, but soggy ground? That's the one thing that'll actually finish it off.
Soil
It's not picky about rich soil and grows happily in loam, sand, or even rocky ground, as long as that ground drains well. Shoot for a pH somewhere around 6.0 to 7.5, and skip any spot where puddles hang around after rain.
Temperature
Hardy from zone 4 to zone 8, anise hyssop takes cold all the way down to -29°F (-34°C) and heat up to about 95°F (35°C). That huge range is exactly why it makes it through where a lot of other perennials just quit.
Humidity
Regular outdoor humidity is fine, so there's no number to worry about here. What matters way more is air on the move, because crowded, still, muggy plantings are exactly where powdery mildew likes to set up shop.
Feeding
This one likes a lean diet, believe it or not. Feed it hardly ever, with nothing more than a light scattering of balanced fertilizer or compost during the growing season. Overdo it and all you get is soft, floppy stems instead of flowers.
Pruning
Pinch off the faded spikes as they go over in August and you'll coax out more bloom. Want to help the birds? Let the dried stalks stand through winter, then come spring shear back to the fresh shoots, and taking it down to roughly 12 inches at that point nudges it into a fuller, bushier shape.
Size & spacing
Figure on a clump that gets 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) tall and 1.5 to 3 feet (45 to 90 cm) wide. Give it that whole spread so air moves through the planting and mildew stays away.
When to plant
Once it's in the ground, anise hyssop just runs on a perennial schedule. Start seed indoors in late winter, set the plants out after the last frost when the soil's warmed up, and you'll get a show from June through September. Leave the dead stalks up over winter, then cut back to fresh growth come spring.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: after the last spring frost once soil has warmed
- Harvest: Blooms June to September
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Honestly, most trouble with anise hyssop comes down to one thing: soil that stays too wet. Get the drainage and airflow sorted and the plant pretty much takes care of itself. Find the symptom that matches what you're seeing below, then deal with it while it still helps.
A wilting plant with a dark, mushy base
What you're looking at is crown or root rot, and it's down to soil that's holding too much water, not some bug you can spray away. The crown goes soft and discolored, the base turns waterlogged, and the whole thing can keel over. So fix the drainage, water a lot less, and toss any plant that's clearly done for, then pop healthy divisions back into soil that actually drains.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and reduce watering
- Remove and discard severely affected plants
- Replant healthy divisions in well-drained soil
A whitish, dusty layer on the foliage
See that dusty coating? That's powdery mildew, and it shows up wherever the air goes still and the planting gets crowded or muggy. The good news is it's more of an eyesore than a real threat to the plant. Just thin things out and space them so air can move, pluck off the worst leaves, and try not to splash water on the foliage.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by spacing and thinning
- Remove affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering
Orange and brown flecks showing up on leaves
Little raised rust-colored bumps or dark patches usually mean rust and fungal leaf spots, which get around on leaves that stay wet. Most years it's just a cosmetic thing, so don't lose sleep over it. Snip off the spotted leaves and bin them, give the plant more room to breathe, and water down at the base so the foliage isn't sitting damp.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected leaves
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid wetting foliage
Toxicity
Good news on this front. Anise hyssop has no toxins at all, so it's safe around cats, dogs, horses, livestock, and kids alike. The leaves are even a kitchen herb, going into teas and baked goods for that anise flavor, and the strong scent does a pretty good job of keeping browsing animals away all on its own.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Worried about a nosy cat? Don't be, because there's nothing toxic in here and a chewed leaf won't hurt one bit. Sure, a big mouthful of any plant can bring on some drool or a quick tummy ache, but anise hyssop really isn't a threat to cats.
Dogs None
Dogs are totally fine with it. About the worst that happens if a dog scarfs a bunch of leaves is a short stomach grumble, like with any safe plant, and honestly that strong anise smell usually puts most dogs off after the first bite anyway.
Horses Safe
Horses can hang out right next to it, no problem, since none of it is poisonous to them. They'll probably ignore it too, because that aromatic foliage just isn't something they'd choose to eat.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits have nothing to fear here. The plant's actually got a rabbit-resistant streak, so they'll usually skip right past it for tastier greens rather than bother with the scented leaves.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze around it just fine, with no toxin to fret about. That minty, licorice smell means most of them wander off to eat elsewhere and leave the patch alone.
Birds Safe
Birds come to no harm from anise hyssop, and they actually get a lot out of it. Finches dig into the seed heads you leave up over winter, while hummingbirds and pollinators are busy on the summer flowers.
People Safe
The leaves aren't just safe, they're a kitchen herb, with an anise or licorice taste that's great in teas, salads, and baked goods. And kids? They're in no danger around the plant either.
Varieties
There's a handful of standout anise hyssop cultivars that are worth knowing by name. These are the ones you'll most likely bump into at the nursery.
Blue Fortune
A crowd-favorite hybrid that people love for its packed spikes of blue-lavender flowers that just keep blooming.
Golden Jubilee
This one's grown for its sunny golden-yellow leaves just as much as for the lavender spikes that pop up above them.
Blue Blazes
A tall pick that really catches the eye with its showy violet-blue flower spikes.
How to propagate
Making more anise hyssop is about as low-effort as it gets, whether you split an old clump or just let it sow its own seedlings around the garden.
DivisionEasy
Spring or fall · One growing season
Dividing it couldn't be easier. Just dig up a clump that's been around a while in spring or fall, tease it apart into good chunks, and plant those divisions back into soil that drains well. Each piece needs about a full growing season to get comfortable and bulk back up, so be patient with it.
SeedEasy
Spring; self-seeds readily in the garden · First season from transplanted seedlings
Here's a handy thing: anise hyssop self-seeds freely, so the laziest approach is to just move the volunteer seedlings wherever you want them come spring. Want those volunteers? Quit deadheading in late summer and let the spikes set seed, and the little transplants will hit a decent size in their very first season.
Myths
Anise hyssop is a true mint that will take over the garden.
Yes, it's in the mint family, but no, it won't go rogue the way real mints do. It spreads pretty gently through rhizomes and a bit of self-seeding, and a lot of the time it's actually a short-lived perennial instead of some runaway you can't control.
Anise hyssop is related to true hyssop and tastes like it.
They share a name, sure, but it's really in the genus Agastache, not the true Hyssopus. Pinch a leaf and you'll catch a clear anise or licorice scent, which is exactly why it turns up in teas, salads, and baked goods.