Agastache x 'Black Adder' - Black Adder Hyssop - Hummingbird Mint

Airy dark purple spikes of smokey lavender flowers complement coarser textured perennials in the garden; attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators; aromatic, licorice scented green foliage; pinch in June to keep plants compact

Height: Plant Height: 3 feet. Spread: 24 inches. Sun: full sun. Hardiness zone: 5b.

Ornamental features

Black Adder Hyssop features airy spikes of lightly-scented lavender tubular flowers with deep purple calyces rising above the foliage from mid summer to mid fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive fragrant pointy leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape

Black Adder Hyssop is an open herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Mass Planting, General Garden Use, Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens, Herb Gardens, Container Planting.

Planting and growing

Black Adder Hyssop will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity extending to 4 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 6 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for alkaline soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.