Hummingbird Mint Isn’t Just for the Birds

Agastache Ava’s hummingbird mint with phlox. A lovely tall agastache.

Here’s a hard-working, easy-care perennial too few gardeners utilize. Fortunately the nurseries are pushing hard to get it better known, and breeders are bringing out new hybrids in more colors every year.

Hummingbird mint is also known as anise hyssop. It’s often referred to at nurseries by its latin name agastache. (I will call it agastache.) This intriguing plant is deer- and rabbit-proof, blooms June to fall, resists most diseases and provides sustenance for pollinators. A member of the mint family, it does well in most any sunny garden, yet never spreads, reseeds, or gets out of hand.

What’s not to love?

The Aromatics: Salvia, Mint, Bee Balm and Lavender

Salvia and catmint provide vibrant color in the spring garden

There’s nothing quite like the sages (Salvia) and catmints (Nepeta) for bushy, vibrant spires of rich purples and lavenders in late spring. Beebalm, lavender and agastache follow up, with the latter going right into fall. Aromatics are among the easiest and most trouble-free of all perennials to grow, in part due to their menthol-like aromas which keep many pests at bay.