Agastache foeniculum Seeds | Golden Jubilee
LATIN NAME: Agastache foeniculum
COMMON NAME: Anise Hyssop
Plant Profile
Golden Jubilee is a yellow-leaved anise hyssop, grown as much for its foliage as for its flowers. Plants reach 90-120 cm, with ovate, liquorice-scented leaves that open chartreuse and hold that colour through the season, and spikes of lavender-blue flowers from July to September.
The combination of gold foliage and blue flower is unusual in a tall perennial, and it works as a colour bridge between grey-leaved plants and the hotter colours of late summer. The scent is released by heat and by brushing, and it is strong enough to notice from a metre away.
Anise hyssop is native to the northern prairies and open woodland of North America, where it grows in dryish soil in full sun. That origin explains its tolerance of drought and its dislike of winter wet, which is the one condition that will kill it.
Science & Biotechnology
The plant is an Agastache, and its aromatic chemistry is dominated by methyl chavicol, or estragole, with limonene and smaller sesquiterpenes. That is the compound behind the liquorice note and also the reason the leaves are used sparingly in tea rather than eaten in quantity.
The yellow foliage is a chlorophyll mutation, and plants carrying it grow more slowly than green ones because they have less chlorophyll to work with. That is why Golden Jubilee is less vigorous than the species and why it benefits from a little more feeding and water than a green anise hyssop would need.
Agastache is a genus of roughly twenty species, all North American apart from a few Asian ones, and the ornamental breeding has concentrated on flower colour and compact habit. The species itself is a strong nectar plant, and anise hyssop honey is a recognised varietal in North America.
Uses & Benefits
The leaves make a pleasant anise-flavoured tea and can be used to scent sugar, syrups and fruit salads. They are also a traditional flavouring for baked goods in parts of North America, though the estragole content argues for occasional rather than daily use.
In the border the plant earns its place by flowering when the gold of early summer has gone over and the blues are finishing. Bees and butterflies work the spikes heavily, and the seed heads feed small birds into autumn. The flowers cut and dry well, and the foliage is useful in arrangements for its colour.
Growing from Seed
Sow on the surface at 18-21°C, since the seed needs light; germination takes two to four weeks. A few weeks of cold before sowing improves uniformity. Grow the seedlings on in good light, since the yellow foliage makes them slower than green types.
Plant out at 40 cm apart in full sun and well-drained soil. Water through the first summer, then only in drought. Cut back the previous year’s stems in April rather than autumn, and divide the clump every third year to keep it vigorous. Golden Jubilee is less tolerant of winter wet than the species, so plant it on a slight mound or in raised ground.
Our Take
A herb with a useful colour and a long season, best grown where its scent can be reached and its feet can stay dry.
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