Mexican giant hyssop is also called anise hyssop. It is native to New Mexico. It's a member of the mint family like catnip, woolly mint, peppermint, spearmint and eelwort. It has attractive, light purple, upright flower spirals made up of many small flowers and upright stems with light to dark green leaves that are downy underneath. The leaves smell of anise, hence the name anise plant. It prefers a sunny, sheltered spot with well-draining soil. It doesn't like wet feet.
This plant needs its own spot and should not be placed under other plants. The licorice plant can easily propagate itself and is therefore also suitable for a naturalised garden. Bees, butterflies and other useful insects love Mexican giant hyssop. The seed needs a cold and wet period to germinate. The young leaves are used to make herbal teas that can relieve emerging colds through sweating. And also in seasoning various dishes. In our climate, this perennial loses its leaves in the autumn and needs to be protected from frost and snow. Hardy perennial. Height: 60 - 100 cm.
Indoor sowing: March - April
Outdoor sowing: April - May
Germination: 10 - 14 days
Germinationtemp.: 16 - 20°C
Sowing depth: shallow - ½ cm
Plant distance: 25 - 30 cm
Plant position: sunny
Harvesting period: July - October
This plant needs a cold and wet period in order to germinate. You can place the seed packet in the fridge for about a week. Let the seeds slowly get used to room temperature. Sow indoors from March onwards in trays with fine, moist soil. Keep the seeds moist, but not too wet. Press the seeds carefully and cover them hardly with soil. Mexican giant hyssop is a light germinator. Cover the seed with cling film or a lid. To keep the humidity inside. Keep the temperature as even as possible. Especially at night, do not let the temperature drop. Keep moist and weed-free.
Remove the cover or cling film as soon as the seedlings emerge. From mid-May, as soon as there is no more night frost, harden off the seedlings for about 10 - 14 days during the day. After this they can be placed in a sunny spot in the open ground.
From mid-April onwards the seeds can be sown in the garden in a sunny place. Rake the seeds carefully into the soil. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out at 25 - 30 cm.
In our climate this perennial loses its leaves in autumn and needs to be protected from frost and snow. Mexican giant hyssop is very attractive to bees and butterflies. Birds also like to eat the seeds of this plant. The leaves can be used both fresh and dried as a herbal tea and for seasoning dishes. Dry the flowers and leaves by hanging them upside down in a dry and well ventilated place. After about 10 days it is dry enough. After this the flowers and leaves can be put away in plastic boxes with a lid. In this way they can be kept for a long time.
