Agastache, Texas Humming Bird Mint

Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade but best in full sun. Also tolerates drought, poor soils, summer heat and humidity. Plants in this genus are non-invasive in the garden.

Agastache cana, commonly called hyssop or hummingbird mint, is an herbaceous woody-based perennial of the mint family that features a late spring bloom of tubular, sweetly fragrant, rose-pink to raspberry-pink tubular flowers which bloom in whorls on erect, salvia-like, terminal flowering spikes (to 12in long) rising to 2-3 ft tall with a spread to 1.5 ft. Pointed, oval leaves (to 1 1/2” long and 1/2”wide) are aromatic. Double bubblemint is an additional common name for this plant based upon the flowers purportedly having a fragrance similar to that of chewing gum. This plant is native to mountainous areas to 6000’ in New Mexico and western Texas where it is sometimes commonly called mosquito plant because rubbing the aromatic foliage on one’s skin reportedly repels mosquitoes. Leaves may be used fresh or dried to flavor teas.