The hummingbird mint plant goes by the name Agastache. It's also called giant hyssop at many garden centers. This native perennial sits in the mint family and grows tall spikes of tube-shaped flowers. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies all crowd these blooms from summer through fall. Few plants pull in as many types of visitors to your garden in a single season.
When I first grew Agastache hummingbird mint (anise hyssop) two years ago, the show kicked off fast. By mid-July the first flower spikes stood about three feet tall in my bed. Within days a ruby-throated hummingbird showed up every morning. Bumble bees worked the lower flowers while painted lady butterflies sat on the tips. This action ran from July through September without a break. It was the longest pollinator show in my yard that whole year.
Each Agastache spike stands 2 to 4 feet tall and holds dozens of tiny tubes packed with nectar. The tube shape fits hummingbird bills and long-tongued bee mouths just right. Short-tongued bugs can't reach the nectar so only the right visitors get the prize. This design makes Agastache one of the best picks if you want to draw hummingbirds and big bees to your yard at the same time. The nectar stays strong all day from morning to dusk.
A few native species cover different parts of the country. Anise hyssop grows wild in the upper Midwest and Northeast. Yellow giant hyssop does best in the eastern states. Threadleaf giant hyssop fits the Southwest climate. As a giant hyssop pollinator plant, each one of these pulls in hummingbirds and native bees in your region. Pick the species that matches your zone and you'll get the same great results I did.
Growing Agastache hummingbird mint takes very little effort on your part. Give it full sun and soil that drains well and it thrives in zones 4 through 9. It handles heat, drought, and poor dirt better than most plants you can buy at the store. Deer and rabbits leave it alone thanks to the strong minty smell coming from the leaves. In my experience, I stopped watering mine after the first month and it still grew thick blooms from top to bottom.
Pair your Agastache with other native tube-shaped flowers for a bigger impact in your yard. Cardinal flower adds bright red spikes that hummingbirds love. Trumpet honeysuckle gives you a vine with long red tubes that blooms at the same time. Together these three plants make a hummingbird magnet that runs from June into October. You'll see more hummingbird visits on a busy afternoon than you can count on both hands.
Don't cut back your Agastache stems when fall comes. The dried seed heads feed goldfinches and small birds through the cold winter months. Leave your stems standing until spring. You'll watch birds pick seeds off the old heads all through winter. Then cut them to the ground in March and fresh growth comes right back. This one plant feeds your pollinators in summer and your birds in winter giving your yard value every single month of the year.
Read the full article: Best Native Pollinator Plants for Ecosystem Health
