Make your garden beautiful and pleasant smelling with these anise hyssop varieties.
Anise hyssop is a colorful and sweet-smelling herbaceous plant that attracts many pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
This plant is native to North America and belongs to the Lamiaceae family which is commonly called the mint family.
Its scientific name is Hyssopus Officinalis, also known as hummingbirds mint. Planting these plant species will make your garden alive.
It has colorful blooms and sweet, pleasant fragrances that attract pollinators. The pollinators cross-pollinate and have specimens that are totally different from their parent plant.
Here, I listed some anise hyssop varieties or cultivars that you can grow in the garden.
let’s explore:
Types Of Anise Hyssop Plants
There are lots of anise hyssop plants available, mentioning them all is quite difficult. However, below are some best or popular anise hyssop varieties that you can plant in the garden, along with their cultivation requirement.
Agastache ‘Black Adder’ (Giant Hyssop)
- Zones: 6 to 9
- Size: 2-3 feet taller and 1-2 feet wider
- Color: Reddish-violet
- Bloom time: Mid to late summer or fall
This variety thrives in zones 6 to 9. It grows about two to three feet taller and spreads one to two feet. The plant produces reddish-violet blooms that grow up to 2-3 inches long. The blooming season of the flowers is from mid to late summer or fall.
It’s advised to snip off or deadhead all its dry leaves or bloom to encourage new growth. You can plant this in sunny borders, cottage gardens, or butterfly gardens. The variety also looks wonderful near patios and walkways.
A problem raised while growing this plant is crown rot, this happens when plants do not get well-drained. Powdery mildew and leaf spots also cause issues sometimes.
Other than these problems this variety does not suffer from any diseases. If you want to learn how to grow and care for anise hyssop, refer to our detailed guide.
Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (Anise Hyssop)
- Zones: 5 to 9
- Size: 2-3 feet taller and 1-2 feet wider
- Color: deep violet-blue
- Bloom time: Mid to late summer or fall
Blue boa is a beautiful anise hyssop variety, it has deep violet-blue blooms and dark green leaves. The plant thrives in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9 and grows up to two to three feet taller and one to two feet wider. The flowers bloom in mid-summer to last frost and form clumps of erect stems.
The variety can thrive in full sun or partial shade with low maintenance and an average amount of water to stay healthy.
Like anise hyssop varieties, plants also attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Well-drained soil with little moisture ensures the plant stays healthy and nutritious.
Blue boa becomes drought tolerant once it gets established and has a slow growth rate. Plants do well in areas where there is no foot traffic to avoid getting them.
Blue boas look pretty in patios, butterfly gardens, or cottage gardens. It might suffer from powdery mildew or leaf spot, if not taken care of properly.
Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ (Giant Hyssop)
- Zones: 5 to 9
- Size: 2-3 feet taller and 1-2 feet wider
- Color: lavender blue
- Bloom time: Summer or Fall
Blue fortune is an anise hyssop variety that grows in USDA hardiness zone 5 to 9. It has lavender-blue blooms that grow two to three inches longer in the summer or fall. The plant grows two to three feet in height and spreads one to two feet wider.
Blue fortune grows well in full sun with well-drained and fertile soil. This is a low-maintenance plant and requires average water to sustain.
Its bloom attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but resists deer. Because it’s deer resistant you can plant it along with crops to protect them from deer.
This is a short-lived plant that mostly grows from adding vertical accents to borders. Blue fortune needs to be replaced every few years, especially after winter or frost.
It is advised not to cut its dry bloom till early spring since it’s helpful in the winter season.
When planting leaves at least 18 inches for the gap between each plant so that its root system gets enough space to spread. The plant is a slow grower and takes around 2 to 5 years to reach its maximum height.
For more bloom, it is advised to deadhead blooms in the growing season. Blue fortune is generally disease and pest-free plant.
Agastache ‘Bolero’ (Hummingbird Mint)
- Zones: 5 to 10
- Size: 1-2 feet taller and wider
- Color: rose-purple
- Bloom time: Summer or Fall
Bolero is a fast-growing anise hyssop variety that has rose-purple blooms. It grows smaller relative to other varieties about one to two feet taller and wider.
The flowers bloom in the summer or fall and attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The plant thrives in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 10 in dry and fertile soil. Bolero needs soil pH 7 or above to grow properly.
This plant should be grown in well-drained soil, it cannot tolerate wet soil especially in the winter season. Wet soil often leads to root rot that damages plant’s health and sometimes leads them to death.
Bolero does well in full sun with the fact that it has low water requirements. This is a medium growth plant widely used to be grown in mass. The plant is drought-tolerant, has fragrant bloom and diseases and pests free.
Agastache ‘Kudos Ambrosia’ (Hummingbird Mint)
- Zones: 5 to 10
- Size: 1-2 feet taller and wider
- Color: Rose pink
- Bloom time: Early Summer to Fall
This plant grows about one to two feet in height and spreads the same. It produced rose-pink blooms in the early summer all the way to fall. Kudos ambrosia is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 10.
It’s a fast-growing plant that attracts pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies all year round. The plant looks great in mass when planted in beds, containers, and borders.
This variety is hardy perennial and needs full sun to thrive. With that it also needs well-drained soil of pH 5.5 to 6.5, this will ensure the plant gets enough nutrition.
Kudos Ambrosia is used as a cut flower. It’s a drought-tolerant plant that takes about 6 to 8 weeks to grow healthy size. Plant them where there is less or no foot traffic to ensure it does not get spoiled or damaged in any way. It is recommended to look at plants that are fresh and bright.
Fertilize the plant once or twice a year and water regularly to keep the soil moist.
Agastache ‘Kudos Coral’ (Hummingbird Mint)
- Zones: 5 to 10
- Size: 1-2 feet taller and wider
- Color: Coral color
- Bloom time: Summer to Fall
Kudos coral is also hardy in USDA zones 5 to 10. It has a bright coral-colored bloom that has a sweet honey scent. The blooming season for Kudos coral is from summer to fall. The plant likes to grow in full sun, in the extreme sun it needs more water to get moisturized.
The growth rate of this variety is very fast. The plant needs coarse soil that has good drainage to ensure water does not enter the soil. Kudos coral is a disease-free plant that needs minimal care to remain healthy and growing.
It looks good in a cottage garden with companion plants like Cornflower, Bee Balm, and Russian Sage. Attract beneficial pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies, deadheading is essential to keep plants growing.
Did I Miss Anything?
Now I’d like to hear from you: which anise hyssop variety from today’s post are you going to try first? Or maybe, I didn’t mention your favorite plant. Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
Before going if you want to grow beautiful flowers in your garden? Then click on these articles also.
Hey! I’m Madhuresh, a passionate content creator, and a Plant lover. I created Shiny Plant to explore and learn about new plants. The purpose is to provide simple and effective Gardening Tips. Hope you’ll find this informative.