How to Grow Anise Hyssop From Seed to Tea

Anise hyssop

Overview

Anise hyssop is a North American perennial in the mint family. Its leaves smell of anise or licorice (NC State Extension), and they’re used in herbal teas and to flavor jellies (University of Wisconsin Extension). If you like licorice-flavored tea, one pot on the patio gives you leaves to pick all summer and a jar of your own dried tea.

Here’s the short version:

1. Buy Agastache foeniculum. Despite the name, it isn’t anise and it isn’t hyssop. See the comparison below.
2. It’s a short-lived perennial, so young plants replace old ones. See Is anise hyssop a perennial?
3. It’s easy from seed. Press the seed onto the surface, because it needs light. A spell of cold, moist storage first helps it sprout, and seed-grown plants often bloom their first year (Wisconsin Extension).
4. It grows in a large pot or a sunny bed, as long as the soil drains well.
5. It self-sows. Cutting the flower spikes for tea also keeps the seedlings down. See Does anise hyssop spread?
6. Check the safety notes before you drink it. Three major herb references (NCCIH, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and the European Medicines Agency) don’t cover it.

If you’re planning a few herb pots for a sunny patio, our Start Your First Medicinal Herb Garden guide walks you through choosing pots and placing them where you’ll use them.

Is anise hyssop the same as anise or hyssop?

No. Anise hyssop is its own plant, Agastache foeniculum. The name comes from the anise or licorice scent of its leaves.

Sources: NC State Extension for anise hyssop, hyssop, and anise; Wisconsin Extension.

Star anise, Illicium verum, is a fourth, different plant (Gardener’s Path).

Because they’re different plants, growing tips or safety information for one can’t be assumed to apply to the others.

Which anise hyssop to buy

Wisconsin Extension lists a number of cultivars and a few hybrids with Korean hyssop (Agastache rugosa). ‘Blue Fortune’, for example, is a sterile hybrid of the two.

If you’re growing it for bees, the cultivar matters. Wisconsin Extension notes that ‘Golden Jubilee’, sometimes sold as anise hyssop, is actually a selection of Korean mint (A. rugosa) and isn’t very attractive to pollinators, and ‘Red Fortune’ is far less attractive to them than the plain species.

Our advice: for a plant that matches the growing information on this page, look for “Agastache foeniculum” with no cultivar name in quotes after it.

Where to plant anise hyssop

Give anise hyssop full sun to partial shade and any soil that drains well (Wisconsin Extension). Wet soil can cause root rot. On heavy soil, a raised bed or a pot helps.

Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in a bed (Epic Gardening). NC State’s range runs up to 36 inches for bigger plants.

Sources disagree on feeding. One garden guide says extra fertilizer isn’t needed and can make plants floppy (Epic Gardening). Another suggests a balanced feed in spring (Gardener’s Path). Our advice: in decent garden soil, compost at planting is enough.

Already have a clump? You can divide it in spring or fall (Wisconsin Extension; NC State Extension).

How to grow anise hyssop from seed

When to plant anise hyssop seeds

You have two choices:

• Indoors: sow six to eight weeks before your last spring frost. Your local extension office can tell you that date.
• Outdoors in fall: sow in early fall and let winter do the chilling. The seedlings come up in spring.

Both timings: Gardener’s Path.

Does anise hyssop need cold stratification?

Not strictly, but it helps. Stratification just means giving seed a cold, damp spell before sowing. Wisconsin Extension says “cold, moist stratification improves germination.” Johnny’s growing guide has no chilling step at all.

For spring sowing indoors, use the fridge:

1. Spread the seed on a layer of moist sand or potting mix in a lidded container.
2. Put it in the fridge for about a month (Gardener’s Path).
3. Sow it straight from the fridge, using the depth and steps below.

It takes about five minutes to set up. Check now and then that the sand stays damp, not wet.

How deep to plant anise hyssop seeds

Plant them on the surface, or under the barest dusting of mix. The seed needs light to sprout (Wisconsin Extension), so press it onto the mix rather than burying it (Epic Gardening).

Johnny’s is the outlier. Its direct-sowing instructions say 1/4 inch deep, while its indoor line says to tamp the seed in or barely cover it (Johnny’s Selected Seeds).

Sowing anise hyssop seeds indoors

Hands-on time is about 15 minutes for a tray.

1. Fill a tray with damp seed-starting mix.
2. Press the seed onto the surface, as above.
3. Keep the mix moist. Seedlings can take one to four weeks (Wisconsin Extension). Johnny’s says 7 to 16 days. Don’t give up early.
4. Once seedlings have at least two sets of true leaves and frost is past, harden them off. Set them outside for a few hours a day (Gardener’s Path) over about a week. Then plant them out at the spacing above.

Seedlings transplant easily at any age (Johnny’s Selected Seeds). Plants grown from seed often bloom their first year (Wisconsin Extension).

Growing anise hyssop in pots

Anise hyssop can live in a pot. Wisconsin Extension says it can be grown in containers, alone or with other plants.

Pot: choose a big one, 18 to 20 inches across and at least 12 inches deep (Gardener’s Path). It needs drainage holes (see Where to plant). No ASPCA listing for anise hyssop turned up, so if you have pets that chew plants, ask your vet (safety notes).

Mix: Our advice is an all-purpose potting mix with no added fertilizer.

Water: once it’s established, water enough to keep the soil from drying out completely, but not so often that it stays soggy (Gardener’s Path). Our advice: water when the top inch feels dry.

Feeding: Our advice is to skip regular feeding, as in a bed. At most, give it one balanced feed in spring.

Overwintering anise hyssop in pots

As an herbaceous perennial (Wisconsin Extension), its top growth dies back in winter. No anise hyssop source covers pots in winter, so here is general advice for perennials in containers.

Sink the whole pot into a garden bed to protect the roots, and check it about once a month. Or group your pots in a sheltered spot against the house and check them every two weeks, or move them into an unheated garage and check the soil often. Water only if the soil is dry (Colorado State University Extension).

Harvesting and drying anise hyssop

When to harvest anise hyssop for tea

For fresh tea, pick any time. Wisconsin Extension says the leaves “can be used at any time.” Before you drink it, know that three major herb references don’t cover anise hyssop’s safety: ask your doctor or midwife first if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, your doctor or pharmacist if you take any medicine, and your pediatrician before giving it to a child (safety notes).

For one big cut to dry, our advice is to cut around full bloom. Here’s what each source says:

• Manitoba’s guidance for commercial growers says the start of flowering.
• Gardener’s Path says when most flowers have opened.
• Wisconsin Extension says just past full bloom.

Cut after the morning dew has dried and before the day gets hot (Gardener’s Path).

How to harvest anise hyssop so it keeps growing

Everyday picking

• Rule: pinch leaves as you need them (Gardener’s Path). Cut flowers for fresh use too (Johnny’s Selected Seeds).
• Keep: fresh leaves last about a week in a bag in the fridge (Gardener’s Path).
• Check: the plant keeps most of its leaves.
• Time: a minute or two.

One big cut for drying

• Rule: cut the stems back, leaving several inches of leafy stem. Manitoba’s guidance for commercial growers is to leave 6 to 8 inches of stubble. That usually allows a second cutting once plants are established.
• Check: every cut stem still has leaves below the cut, so it has something to regrow from.
• Time: about 10 minutes for a pot or small patch.

Cutting spent flower spikes is deadheading, which Wisconsin Extension says promotes more bloom. It also limits self-seeding, which the next section covers.

How to dry anise hyssop

Hands-on time is about 10 minutes to bundle and hang.

1. Bundle four to six stems together with kitchen twine ad .
2. Hang the bundles upside down somewhere airy, warm, and dry (Gardener’s Path).
3. Check that the leaves crumble when you rub them. That means they’re dry.
4. Crumble the leaves and flowers into a labeled glass jar with a tight lid ad and keep it in a dark cupboard. Gardener’s Path recommends airtight jars.

You can also dry the stems on a screen or in a dehydrator. Our guide to drying herbs gives the settings and typical drying times.

Once it’s dry, brew it with our hot infusion guide. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medicine or brewing it for a child, ask your doctor first, because major herb references don’t cover its safety (safety notes).

Does anise hyssop spread?

Yes, in two ways. Wisconsin Extension says plants grow “about 1 to 3 feet wide from a small tap root with spreading rhizomes.” It also self-sows readily, but “undesired seedlings are easy to pull.”

Worried it will run like peppermint? Those rhizomes are part of the clump described above. The steps below deal with the other kind of spread, self-seeding.

Is it invasive? Sources differ. One garden guide says it isn’t (Epic Gardening). Manitoba’s crop sheet warns that dropped seed can become a weed in later field crops. If your garden borders natural areas, check with your local extension office.

How to keep anise hyssop from spreading

This takes a few minutes a week in late summer, plus one spring check.

1. Deadhead most spikes before they set seed (Gardener’s Path). Cutting them for tea counts.
2. Leave one or two spikes. Our advice: their seed gives you next year’s replacement plants. To save seed, let the spikes dry on the plant and bag them (Wisconsin Extension).
3. Thin volunteers in spring while they’re small. Pull the extras, or move them. Small self-sown seedlings transplant easily (Wisconsin Extension).

In pots, deadheading does the same job. Seedlings that come up in nearby pots or paving cracks pull just as easily.

By early summer, you should have the seedlings you want and no more.

Is anise hyssop a perennial?

Yes, but a short-lived one (Wisconsin Extension). One garden guide says most plants last about two to three years (Epic Gardening). That’s why a few self-sown seedlings are worth keeping: they replace the parent.

In a bed, it usually comes through winter well if the soil drains (NC State Extension). Growing it in a pot? See overwintering in pots.

Traditional uses

Wisconsin Extension notes that “the plant was used medicinally by Native Americans.”

Manitoba’s crop sheet says it “has been used by North American First Nations people as a breath-freshener, as a tea and as a sweetener.” The same page lists other historical remedies, which this guide doesn’t cover.

Parts used

The leaves and flowers, fresh or dried, are what you steep (Wisconsin Extension; Johnny’s; NC State Extension). NC State also lists the seeds for baked goods. For timing, see When to harvest anise hyssop for tea.

Common preparations

• Tea/infusion: steep in hot water. See our guide to hot infusions. For a blend, try it with lemon balm or peppermint. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medicine or making it for a child, ask your doctor first, because major herb references don’t cover its safety (safety notes).
• Syrup: a flavor syrup to sweeten tea or drinks. See our guide to herbal syrups. Keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks at most, and if you make it with honey, don’t give it to a child younger than 1 (safety notes). The tea cautions above apply too.
• In the kitchen: the fresh leaves can be eaten in small quantities, and the flowers are edible (Wisconsin Extension). NC State lists the leaves as a flavoring in salads. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medicine or cooking for a child, ask your doctor first (safety notes).

Read the safety notes below before you drink any anise hyssop preparation, tea included.

Companion and garden notes

Wisconsin Extension says the flowers are very attractive to bees, especially bumblebees, plus butterflies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Some cultivars draw fewer of them; see Which anise hyssop to buy.

Deer tend to leave it alone, but rabbits will eat it, according to Wisconsin Extension. NC State lists it as rabbit resistant, so sources differ.

It has no significant pest problems, but it may develop powdery mildew and leaf spots in humid weather (Wisconsin Extension). For root rot, see Where to plant.

Anise hyssop is in the mint family, like lemon balm and peppermint (NC State Extension). But it handles full sun, while our Start Your First Medicinal Herb Garden guide advises giving lemon balm and peppermint some protection from intense afternoon sun. Give anise hyssop the sunnier spot.

Safety notes

These notes are about drinking or eating anise hyssop, not growing it. Three major herb references have no page or monograph on anise hyssop: the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), Memorial Sloan Kettering’s About Herbs database, and the European Medicines Agency. So none of them gives safety guidance for it.

What that means: missing safety data doesn’t mean it’s proven safe. NCCIH says this of herbal products sold as dietary supplements: “there is a lot we don’t know about the safety of many of these products.”

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: none of these three references covers it. Our advice: ask your doctor or midwife before drinking it.

Children: none of these three references covers it. Ask your pediatrician first. Peppermint has some published guidance for children: European peppermint leaf medicines are labeled for ages 4 and up (see the safety notes in our peppermint guide).

Medicines: NCCIH advises telling your health care providers about all the supplements and medications you take. Our advice goes further: if you take any medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist before drinking anise hyssop.

Syrups: if you make syrup with honey, follow the CDC: “Do not feed honey to a child who is younger than 1 year old.” An Ask Extension expert says there are no research-based recipes for canning infused simple syrups, so refrigerate the syrup, “only keeping for a couple of weeks, or make fresh.”

Pets: no ASPCA listing for anise hyssop turned up. If you have pets that chew plants, ask your vet.

Labels: buy seed and plants by botanical name. See the comparison above.

Anise hyssop asks for sun, drainage, and a firm hand with its seedlings. Sow it on the surface, cut it for tea, and let a spike or two reseed for next year.

Planning the rest of your patio? Start your first medicinal herb garden.

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