Anise Hyssop Seeds
Heirloom, Extra Sweet Strain
An extra sweet strain with a distinctly aniseed leaf that makes one of the best herb teas you can grow.
- About 100 seeds per packet
- Edible flowers and leaves
- An extra sweet anise strain
- Pick the leaves before flowering
For Christmas, order by 16 December, or 18 December in WA. All dates
An extra sweet strain of anise hyssop, with leaves that carry a naturally sweet, distinctly aniseed flavour and make one of the best herb teas you can grow. The tall lilac flower spikes are edible too, and the bees find them from a considerable distance. Little Veggie Patch Co pack this in their Edible Flowers range, in collaboration with Petite Ingredients. Roughly 100 seeds in a packet.
Key Features
- Approximately 100 seeds per packet. Enough for a herbaceous border.
- Edible flowers and leaves. Part of Little Veggie Patch Co's Edible Flowers range, with Petite Ingredients.
- An extra sweet strain. With a naturally sweet anise taste and fragrance.
- It makes one of the best herb teas going. Pick the leaves before flowering.
- Tall lilac flower spikes. They draw bees and other beneficial insects.
- Heirloom variety. So you can save seed from mature plants.
Pūrē Standard
- It does three jobs, which is the test for a small patch. A herb tea you cannot buy at this quality, an edible flower for finishing a plate, and a herbaceous border that pulls pollinators toward everything else you are growing.
- The pollinator argument is the real one. Bees and beneficial insects arriving for the hyssop will also work your tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. Planting for insects is the cheapest yield increase available to a home gardener.
- Grown to be eaten, not just looked at. The Edible Flowers designation and the Petite Ingredients collaboration mean this was selected for flavour, which is not true of most ornamental seed sold as edible.
- Heirloom means it keeps going. Let it set seed and you have next season's packet for free. It self-seeds readily.
- An Australian small business that started in the ground. Little Veggie Patch Co began in 2008 installing raised garden beds in people's homes, and released their first heirloom seed range in 2009. It now runs to more than 60 varieties.
Overall score:
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Low-Tox & Material Safety | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5) |
| Sustainability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5) |
| Manufacturing Transparency | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3.5/5) |
| Packaging | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5) |
How to Use
- Prepare the bed a fortnight ahead. Fresh manure and compost. Anise hyssop wants nutrient-rich, well-drained soil.
- Soil pH. 6.5 to 7.0.
- Sowing. Sow directly once daytime temperatures regularly pass 18 to 20 degrees. If it is still cold, start in seed trays and transplant once conditions improve.
- Spacing and depth. 20 to 30cm apart, 0.5 to 1cm deep.
- Position. Full sun, though it will not mind a little afternoon shade.
- For tea, pick before it flowers. That is when the oils are strongest. Leave some spikes for the bees.
When to Plant
- Zone 1, cool. October to April.
- Zone 2, temperate. September to May.
- Zone 3, subtropical. Anytime.
- Zone 4, tropical. Anytime.
- Perth and the south-west are Zone 2. So September to May. Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and most of the southern half of the country are Zone 2 as well.
Product Details
- Variety. Agastache foeniculum, "Anise", heirloom. Extra sweet strain.
- Seed count. Approximately 100 per packet.
- Range. Part of the Edible Flowers range, with Petite Ingredients.
- Attracts. Bees, other pollinators and beneficial insects.
- Packaging. Plain paper seed packet.
- Sourcing. Little Veggie Patch Co source their seed locally and in small batches.
- Interstate customers. Some states restrict the entry of seed and plant material. Check your own state's plant biosecurity rules if you are unsure.
Choose options
For Christmas, order by 16 December, or 18 December in WA. All dates
Our Take
Aniseed-scented, bee-adored and quietly useful. The leaves make one of the best herb teas going, the lilac flower spikes are edible too, and every pollinator in the postcode will find it.
Pūrēly Organic
Good to know
Frequently asked
Can you eat the flowers?
Yes. Little Veggie Patch Co pack this under their Edible Flowers range, in collaboration with Petite Ingredients, so both the leaves and the lilac flower spikes are grown to be eaten. The leaves are what you want for tea.
What does anise hyssop taste like?
Naturally sweet with a strong anise flavour and fragrance. This is an extra sweet strain, and the brand rate it as one of the best herb teas you can grow.
When should I sow it in Perth?
Perth and the south-west are in Little Veggie Patch Co's Zone 2, temperate, so September to May. Zone 1 (cool) is October to April, and Zones 3 and 4 (subtropical and tropical) can sow anytime.
How do I sow it?
Prepare the soil with fresh manure and compost a fortnight beforehand. Sow directly once daytime temperatures regularly pass 18 to 20 degrees, at 0.5 to 1cm deep and 20 to 30cm apart, in well-drained soil at pH 6.5 to 7.0. If it is still cold, start in seed trays and transplant once conditions improve.
Is it good for the garden?
Very. The strong aroma and tall lilac flower spikes pull in an array of pollinators, bees especially, along with other beneficial insects. It works as a herbaceous border rather than something tucked away in a pot.
How many seeds are in a packet?
Approximately 100.
