My Butterfly Garden

Agastache in my butterfly garden

Agastache, pronounced [ah-gas-TAH-kee] is also known as Anise Hyssop or Licorice Mint, it gets it’s common names because the spikes of the purple-blue flowers smell like anise or licorice. It is a great flower to grow in the butterfly garden, because it will produce large amounts of nectar for both the butterflies and the bees.

Another good reason to plant Agastache in your butterfly garden is that it flowers from mid to late summer, the lovely spikes of purple-blue flowers will reach 2 to 3 feet tall. Agastache will grow best in full sun, but it can also handle some shade. It is hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 9. You will need reasonably good garden soil with a Ph of 6.1 to 7.8 . 

Agastache is a perennial flower that will return every year. It will sometimes re-seed itself so that over time, you may end up with some extra plants of Agastache to share with friends.

Butterflies like flowers that grow in large clumps, because they are easier to find. Agastache is easy to care for and very tolerant of dry conditions, during the drought my Agastache still bloomed and attracted butterflies to my garden. When you water it, make sure you water it deeply, otherwise the roots may stay close to the surfacce and then drought will harm it..

Agastache is related to the mint family, you can tell that by the square stems, luckily it does not send out runners like the other mint plants do. Generally, I don’t like mints because they will take over your garden, but this mint is perfectly fine by me. It has a wonderful growth habit, and doesn’t need a lot of attention to bloom well.

Agastache is a beautiful plant all by itself, the fact that butterflies also find it attractive is an added bonus. This plant is a definite keeper, beautiful smelling flowers that are low maintenance and it is a perennial plant. It is everything a butterfly plant should be.

Be a Social Butterfly, Share!

• 

Related butterfly garden posts:

1. Monarch Butterfly Garden Building a Monarch butterfly garden is not hard to do,...
2. Butterfly Bushes One of the most dependable butterfly plants that I know...
3. Flowers To Attract Butterflies There are many, many flowers to attract butterflies to your...
4. Butterfly Weed One of the best butterfly plants that I know of ...
5. Zinnias, My Favorite Butterfly Flower My favorite butterfly plant is the annual flower called the...

Tags: Agastache, Butterfly Flowers, butterfly garden plants, flowers that attract butterflies, flowers to attract butterflies, Plants that attract butterflies

Trackback URI | Comments RSS