All of the anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) plants I started from seed last year survived winter and came back this spring with a vengeance. They are perennials that I grow as annuals, so it’s not uncommon for them to reappear, but usually not with this much vigor. I have six plants that are over a foot tall already.
Anise hyssop is an herb and a member of the mint family. The leaves smell like licorice when crushed or torn. Bees will abandon all the other flowers in your garden for anise hyssop. The flowers also attract hummingbirds.
The plants tend to self-seed, but it’s nothing you can’t easily control (at least in my Zone 5 garden). I love anise hyssop because it performs beautifully for me in sun or shade and the plants have no disease or pest problems. They are my cheap, “Plan B” plants when I need to fill a space and don’t necessarily want to make a trip to the garden center. I can always find a volunteer lurking around the garden somewhere to tuck into a trouble spot.
While anise hyssop can supposedly grow up to 3 or 4 feet tall, my plants usually top out at 24 to 30 inches. There’s also an AAS-winning variety called ‘Golden Jubilee’ with chartreuse-yellow foliage, but I like the species version better.
