Little Adder Anise Hyssop

Candy-scented perennial, Little Adder Anise Hyssop (Agastache rugosa 'Little Adder') is a sweet little plant with beautiful flowers, aromatic leaves, and a smell like fresh-made sweet licorice. You know your mouth just started watering!

Little Adder is a compact version of the much-loved Black Adder Agastache with all of the same great qualities, just in a smaller package. Tons of violet-blue flower spikes explode all over the plant from summer well into the fall. When the leaves are crushed they release an unmistakable licorice scent into the air.

It not only looks terrific, but it's also a mainstay for beneficial pollinators and our precious native bee populations. No Hummingbird or Butterfly Garden would be complete without Anise Hyssop!

And as a bonus the flowers are edible! Try them as a garnish on soups or salads or on appetizers. The wands of purple buds look like Lavender and spout lighter lavender petals for a long-lasting display. There are so many blooms, you won't feel guilty stealing a few from the pollinators for your bouquets!

Little Adder is easily grown in dry soil where other plants won't thrive. Once established these are hardy drought, deer and rabbit-resistant flowers throughout USDA growing zones 5 through steamy and humid zone 10. Agastache originates from the Greek word 'aga', meaning 'very much', and 'stachys', meaning 'spikes', referring to the many flower spikes - and many is what you will enjoy year after year!

Planting and Application:

Looking great in groupings to maximize their color, filling in as edging or facer perennials in a border garden, or elevated in a porch pot or planter - Little Adder is beautiful wherever you put them! The smaller space-saving size allows Little Adder to be filler or specimen plants in containers for your porch and patio, balcony, or on a bistro table! The bright purple hue stands out in the sun!

Allow your guests to brush against the scented foliage to layer in an important fragrance element in your design. Sensory gardens are great locations for a scented Hyssop! Install your own Cottage Garden or add color to a Rock Garden in the front yard. Hyssop can be grown along walkways and paths as edging and facer perennials for color all season long!

They make pretty cut flowers too! Plant one and watch the bees and butterflies flock to your garden while filling your kitchen and herb gardens with fragrant color. Anise Hyssop essential oil is said to have purifying benefits, and its chemical compounds display antibacterial and antifungal properties. Hyssop is mentioned in the Bible and has a long history in culinary, medicinal, and historical uses.

Once the dark green leaves are dried and steeped, they also make a delicious, refreshing tea - either hot or iced or infused in water. It's fun to use its edible flowers either fresh or dried to flavor fruit salad, pasta, and salad or as garnish!

• Wands of Densely Packed Purple Blooms
• Compact Foliage Smells Like Licorice!
• Heavy Blooms All Season & Attract Pollinators
• Edible Herb & Garnish
• Containers, Cut Flower & Pollinator Gardens & Long-Lasting Late-Season Color

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Hyssop is more tolerant of cold winters and wet soil. However, in the coldest growing zones, give it a sheltered spot. Plant this handsome low-maintenance clumping perennial in a sunny location. They do best in full sun to partial sun exposure, in well-drained soils. The drying power of the morning sun keeps the scented foliage healthy and mildew-free!

Tolerant of drier soil and xeric locations once established, Hyssop can be highly drought-tolerant, but you'll get the best performance with a regular schedule of supplemental water. Use a consistent watering schedule for plants growing in containers. Although this plant does well in thin, poor soil, we do recommend you protect your investment and encourage healthy roots by using Nature Hills Root Booster at planting time to help your plant uptake nutrients in the soil more efficiently.

Little Adder stays small at just 15-18 inches tall and spreads to just under 2 feet wide, but you can pinch back the plants before they bloom to keep them smaller and more compact. Deadhead to prevent seed dispersal and keep the plant neat and tidy. Prune back the stems in late fall, mulch the crown well, and water in well for the winter.

• Loves Full Sun
• Best in Very Well-Drained Soil
• Xeric - Thrives in Dry Soil Once Established
• Fast-Growing!
• Widely Adaptable
• Rarely Damaged by Deer

Don't miss out on these sweet flowers in your garden this year. Buy your Little Adder Agastache now at NatureHills.com! We'll reserve your Anise Hyssop plants for you and ship them as soon as it’s perennial planting season in your area!