Growing An Agastache: Everything You Need To Know

Agastache, also known as Anise Hyssop, is a delicate perennial that bears fragrant leaves and spikes of colorful flowers throughout the summer.

Traditional cultivars tend to have blooms with a blue or purple hue, while more recent cultivars exhibit brighter shades like red and orange in their floral displays.

It reappears year after year in warm regions where conditions are favorable. Because it rapidly self-sows even in chilly locations, you should consider adding it to your garden every year. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees are drawn to the blossoms, and the leaves, which have a smell similar to anise, can be used in teas and other culinary preparations.

When And Where Should You Plant Your Agastache?

Full sun

Full sun is ideal for the growth and flowering of Agastache, also known as anise hyssop. They can endure partial shade, particularly afternoon shadow, in warmer areas, although their bloom production may suffer.

Agastache Requires Nutrient-Rich Soil 

Agastache Requires Soil Rich In Nutrients And Good Drainage To Thrive Should add Lime to regions where the soil is acidic since it prefers a ground close to neutral and will benefit from the addition of Lime.

Planting Distance

Agastache seeds should be started indoors between four and six weeks before the average date of the last frost. Move the plants outside when the transplants are at least 10 centimeters (four inches) tall. Leave 12 to 15 inches of space between each plant. Planting seeds outside rows and spacing them a meter apart after having four leaves each is another option. Anise hyssop grown from direct seeding will bloom later than that produced from transplants.

When To Plant

Agastache should be planted in the spring after all risk of frost has gone. Can produce Seedlings at any moment up to the beginning of summer. Growing Agastache from seeds planted directly in the garden is a simple process. Either spring or fall is an excellent time to plant roots. The seeds produced in the fall will remain dormant throughout the winter and begin to sprout at the right time in the spring.

How To Cultivate Agastache During Every Season

• Agastache has a habit of growing between two and four feet tall and only one foot broad in an upright shape. From the beginning of summer through the season's conclusion, it produces flower spikes ranging from purple to blue. The spectrum of colors found on the flower spikes of more recent types is much broader.
• Agastache is a strong-stemmed plant that typically does not require staking or support because of its sturdy stems. Once the flower stalks have formed, you may stake the plants to encourage the growth of straighter branches that can be cut for use. Additionally, growing Agastache plants together in groups will help them support one another and make them less likely to fall over when a summer storm hits.
• Agastache is a drought-tolerant herb, especially once it has been established in its location. To facilitate germination and the growth of seedlings, the soil should be kept wet. These hardy members of the mint family may survive for weeks without being watered once they have reached maturity.

• Compost should be worked into the soil before growing Agastache to improve its fertility. There is typically no requirement for additional fertilizer. If an abundance of fertilizer is available to the plant, it will blossom less frequently and later than average and produce fewer essential oils in its leaves and flowers. It is also possible for the stems to grow floppy and more readily topple over as a result of this.
• Mulching: Considering Agastache can withstand extended periods of dryness, it is typically no need to mulch it. However, if the circumstances are arid, a layer of pine needles or crushed stone with a thickness of one to two inches might assist new plants in becoming established and discourage the growth of weeds.

Care For Agastache At The End Of The Season

Pruning And Trimming 

To encourage bushier growth on Agastache plants, pinch back the new development in the spring before you begin your annual pruning. To maintain a neat appearance on the plant, remove dead flower stems by "deadheading" them. Do not trim or deadhead your Agastache beyond the middle of summer if you are growing it as a perennial. If you wait too long in the season to prune, you may encourage new growth in the autumn that might not make it through the winter.

If you are growing Agastache as an annual, continue to prune it and remove the spent flowers as necessary. Remove the spent flowers from an Agastache plant before the flower stalks turn brown and the seeds develop and fall to the ground. This will prevent the plant from producing more seeds, which it does prolifically.

If you live in zone 5 or a warmer environment and have an Agastache plant, you should prune it every spring by a third of its height to encourage new growth.

Dividing And Transplanting

Agastache is a plant that may be cultivated as either an annual or a perennial, depending on the climate it is grown in. Dividing plants into locations with a lower average temperature is not needed. In areas where Agastache is a perennial plant, it will often turn brown and die back to the ground over the winter. Dig up and divide perennial plants in the spring every three to five years to give them a new lease of life. Take parts measuring one foot in diameter, and replant them in a spot with comparable growth circumstances.

Pests And Disease

Agastache is not very susceptible to disease and has a low insect infestation risk. Spider mites may attack during dry weather, resulting in the leaves curling and turning yellow. To prevent the accumulation of spider mites on the leaves, you should periodically wash them off during periods of dry weather. Reduce the use of pesticides so as not to wipe out the natural enemies of spider mites; nevertheless, if necessary, can spray insecticidal soap to wipe out tiny infestations.

The plant's crown can become infected with bacteria and fungi if grown in too damp, clay-based soil or in a region that receives excessive precipitation during the winter. To put an end to this decay, prevention is always preferable. Create raised beds or grow plants in sandy loam soil for optimal plant development. Alternatively, build raised beds and bring in the proper ground.