BOTANICAL: Agastache foeniculum (prev: A. anethiodora, Lophanthus anisatus)

PRONOUNCED: ah-gas-TAH-kee fen-IK-yoo-lum

Click on the pic for a close up.

COMMON: Anise hyssop, Blue giant hyssop, Elk mint, Lavender hyssop, Licorice mint. BLOOM HEIGHT LIGHT ZONE July to frost 3 ft. - 4 ft. x 2 ft. Full sun 3 - 8 July - Lavender blue COMMENTS: Often thought of only as an addition to the herb garden, agastache is also perfect for the flowerbed. If you have room for more than one plant, this very ornamental specimen can be used as a tall border or in a grouping set at the back of the border. The leaves have a rough texture with the largest leaves at the bottom of the stem. Similar in form to mint but this is well behaved. The leaves have a strong sweet licorice scent. Spikes of lavender-blue flowers in late summer make a great show. Neither an anise nor a hyssop, this herb belongs to a genus of plants commonly called giant hyssop and tastes like anise. As this plant is an excellent all-day producer of nectar, it is favored by the humming bee and butterflies. Look for the 2003 introduction Acapulco Series of Agastache. The new colors pale orange, rose (is more purple than rose), and salmon-pink.