Anise Hyssop Seeds (Agastache foeniculum)

Agastache foeniculum

Anise hyssop, fennel-leaved agastache, anise mint, blue giant hyssop: not to be confused with true hyssop, with which it is not even closely related. Native to the prairies of North America, its crinkled foliage gives off a surprisingly intense anise and licorice scent, and its blue-violet flower spikes are a magnet for bees.

Characteristics:

• Powerful anise fragrance: highly aromatic foliage, somewhere between anise and licorice.
• Blue-violet flower spikes: long, upright flowering stems from July to September, reaching approximately 80 cm.
• Hardy perennial: it returns every year and readily self-seeds.

Sowing advice:

• Exposure: full sun.
• Soil: ordinary, light, and well-drained. It tolerates poor soil and drought once established, but strongly dislikes stagnant moisture in winter, its main cause of loss. No fertilization needed.
• Method: sow in spring, on the surface or barely covered, as the seeds need light, in pots, then transplant. A short period of cold improves the uniformity of germination but is not essential. See how to sow your seeds.

Planting advice:

• Transplant into a bed, border, or herb garden, spacing plants 40 cm apart. In heavy soil, plant on a slight mound.

Care advice:

• Water moderately, avoiding excess moisture. Cut back the clump at the end of winter.
• Let a few flower spikes go to seed: it self-seeds and establishes itself for the long term.

Harvesting advice:

• Pick the leaves before flowering, when their aroma is at its strongest. Harvest the flowers as they open; they dry very well.

Beneficial pairings:

• It shares the requirements of true lavender and common sage in an herb garden. Its upright form pairs well with purple coneflower, its fellow native of the American prairies.

Benefits for biodiversity:

• It is one of the most attractive plants for bees and bumblebees in the entire summer garden: its flower spikes literally buzz from morning to evening throughout two months of flowering.
• Its seeds feed goldfinches in autumn if the flower stems are left in place.
• Its drought tolerance makes it a good candidate for water-saving gardens.

Uses:

• Its leaves flavor salads, desserts, drinks, and infusions; its edible flowers make a lovely garnish for plates. See our edible flowers.
• A plant traditionally used for a long time by the peoples of the Great Plains. See our medicinal plants to sow.

Harvesting your own seeds:
Let a few flower spikes turn brown and dry completely on the plant, then rub them over a container: the tiny black seeds will come loose from the calyxes. See how to store your seeds.

Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcanoes of Auvergne, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our conviction: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.

Give your bees one of their favorite plants with these anise hyssop seeds.