Agastache scrophulariifolia
Origin: Eastern North America
Improvement status: Cultivated wild material
Seeds per packet: ~125
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
One of our tallest herbaceous perennial species, native to the central and eastern United States and Ontario, purple giant hyssop easily lives up to its name, growing up to nine feet tall each year. It has a very striking look, with enormous flower spikes that are light lavender and bloom in late summer and early fall. Related to the delicious anise hyssop, but much taller and with only a very mild scent and flavor, some people like to use the young leaves in salad or the dried leaves in tea. It also has a history of medicinal use by Indigenous peoples, with its leaves used for respiratory issues, fevers, as a digestive aid, and a diuretic, and its roots used for coughs and wounds. It is said to a have a mild calming effect for the nervous system as well.
These seeds come from our friend Eric Toensmeier, the author, scholar, and farmer based in western Massachusetts. He points out that these seeds may include a few hybrids with anise hyssop (A. foeniculum), which he also grows, but says you can "rogue out smaller plants with purple flowers and stronger scent if you want the pure species." Or you can keep up the hybrids and see if they're the best of both worlds! Recommended by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation as a pollinator and beneficial insect species, purple giant hyssop is valuable to a wide diversity of pollinators. Hummingbirds visit the flowers and also perch for a bit of rest. The seeds are also extremely valuable to seed-eating birds like goldfinches. A real “neighborhood pub” that invites beneficial birds and bugs. Huge hollow stems are valuable for overwintering and nesting insects.
GROWING TIPS: Seeds germinate best with 60 days cold-moist stratification, and should be surface-sown because they require some light to germinate. Open to a range of planting spots from full sun to part shade, it will even grow in dry sand. USDA zones 3-8.
