PLANT NATIVE

Blue giant hyssop, Agastache foeniculum Height: 2-4 feet | Spread: 1-3 feet | Sun: full sun to part shade | Water: dry to medium

Blue or anise hyssop is one of the most ornamental of native mints. The common name anise reveals the flavor and fragrance of its edible flowers and foliage. Butterflies and hummingbirds love this plant with its long 3-4 inch spikes of small blue flowers from June into late summer. It is in the mint family so deer and rabbits avoid it. Though it self-seeds, it is not an aggressive spreader. Once established, it can handle drought and dry soil. It tends to remain upright and rarely needs staking. (Many cultivars have been developed, and the cultivar ‘Blue Fortune’ was found to be just as attractive to pollinators as the straight species.)

* Native plant recommendations from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, plantnebraska.org