1. I consider Anise-hyssop one of the most underused of unusual salad greens.  It tastes like licorice, but in my opinion, better.  Its flavor is stronger than most common salad greens,  so you might want to chop the leaves up into small pieces before using them in a salad.  I like the leaves’ flavor most before the flowers get very big, but I do often use it in edible bouquets.

2. Anise-hyssop is easy to grow.  It does well in partial shade throughout our summers and also in cooler weather.  It often self-sows in the garden.  It also often comes up from its roots where it was planted the year before.  The anise-hyssop we planted last year is coming up now in our herb garden.  This is also a fine time to start it from seed.

3. Anise-hyssop has beautiful purple flowers.

4. Anise-hyssop attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

5. Anise-hyssop makes a delightful tea.  I think this is it most common use.  Leaves, flowers, and stems are all suited to tea brewing.  Fresh, it is one of  my favorite tea herbs, and you can dry it, too.  Anise-hyssop both tastes great and soothes the stomach.  (Here, you can also see the branches above reflected in the surface of the tea.)

It’s not anise.  It’s not hyssop.  It’s really quite different from both of them.  And it’s almost impossible to find in grocery stores, so we make sure to dry our own for winter teas. Click here to buy anise-hyssop seeds.