Agastache foeniculum Seeds | Snow Spike Anise Hyssop
LATIN NAME: Agastache foeniculum
COMMON NAME: Snow Spike Anise Hyssop
Plant Profile
Snow Spike Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a hardy, perennial in the mint family. Snow spike anise hyssop peppers white, tubular flowers along tall wands, soft, grey-green leaves below them, and the whole plant stands in the bright, fragrant look of the sunny border. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground. Through the flowering season it keeps visiting bees well supplied. For the small amount of care it requires, the return is remarkable.
Science & Biotechnology
Agastache foeniculum sits in the mint family, a group that keeps botanists, horticulturists and plant breeders busy with questions of classification, adaptation and ornamental potential. Contemporary seed practice means a grower can raise it confidently with standard techniques.
Uses & Benefits
Snow Spike Anise Hyssop works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Snow spike anise hyssop is a bright, useful plant of sunny border and study collection. It is a bright, useful plant of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden. Snow spike seeds prefer a fine, leafy mix kept moist. Once settled, it thrives on neglect more than on fussing.
Giant hyssop has a gentle folk-medicine record in both North America and East Asia: the aromatic, anise-scented leaves are brewed into teas for digestion and summer colds. Its essential oil, rich in estragole and related phenylpropanoids, has been studied for antimicrobial activity.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Snow Spike Anise Hyssop under ordinary good conditions. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Among the Agastache group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Plant it in sun with drainage to its liking and the rest is easy.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Snow Spike Anise Hyssop often pair it with these related subjects: