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from Natural Life Magazine,
January/February 1998 Hyssop and Horehound Towards the end of summer, a dark corner of my herb patch is transformed by the flowering of an unobtrusive plant, which suddenly is covered with blue flowers. The hyssop is blooming. It flowers with the white Greek oregano, bright orange and yellow calendulas all interspersed with the clear sky blue of borage flowers and blended together with the green and gold of the ginger mint.
Hyssop is a bitter herb and very aromatic. It is the young flower shoots and leaves that are used both for cooking and medicinally. For culinary uses it should be used for soups, stews and stuffings and even salads; but only sparingly at first because it is very hot and spicy and the flavor could be too dominant. Medicinally it can be used as a tea for coughs, to relax tensions and as a stimulant for the appetite. In the past in castles, monasteries and churches it was used as a strewing herb and for purification. There is some controversy about the translation of the hyssop mentioned in the Bible. Some scholars think it was probably a marjoram and not the hyssop we know. In the garden, the hyssop is an excellent landscape plant; as I have already mentioned it adds color in August. But it is also a favorite of bees and butterflies and provides plenty of honey. As the true hyssop fades another herb named anise hyssop (Agastache
foeniculum) starts to flower. This is no relation of hyssop, but is a
handsome plant with columns of purple flowers, which vary in length each year.
Last season was a very good one, and some of my plants had spikes eight cms
long. Anise hyssop is also known as Korean mint and, like all mints, the leaves
are used for flavoring teas. Also it is important as a bee plant because it
produces a great deal of nectar. It is one of the easiest plants to grow and
although it would be a more handsome plant in rich soil, it is not fussy and
even manages in dry situations and part shade. It is excellent for naturalizing
as it self seeds freely. It could be a nuisance except that the seedlings are
easy to pull and it does not form runners like the other invasive mints.
A much more modest member of the herb patch is horehound (Marrubium vulgare). The white horehound makes a spreading patch of greyish white leaves. The inconspicuous flowers are carried in whorls on stems rising above the leaves. The plant likes sunny, dry, even rocky situations but will not tolerate poor drainage, damp soils and shade. It has been used medicinally for centuries almost entirely to relieve coughs and colds. It is made into a tea and even an ale as well as a cough candy. Its taste is bitter and a lot of sugar is needed to make it palatable. Here is a recipe... There are two other species of horehound. One is the black horehound, which has an unpleasant smell and is generally unattractive and not recommended as a garden plant. But there is also a silver horehound (M.incanum). From its description, this sounds to be a very ornamental plant and I hope I can find seed and try to grow it. Rachel McLeod has over 20 years experience in the herb business, having founded Kiln Farm Herb Garden in Puslinch, Ontario in 1974. This is one of a limited number of articles from Natural Life magazine that are available for free. To read all of our current and back issues, subscribe to our online edition. |
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Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is an evergreen perennial with spikes of
usually blue flowers, but sometimes pink or white forms can be found. It grows
about 30-50 cms high. Straggly stems should be trimmed to make the plant bushy
or it can be clipped more heavily to form a low hedge, which is attractive but
will not flower as profusely. If the plant gets very woody it is best to divide
it and start new plants with small pieces. New plants can also be started from
cuttings or from seed. It grows best in a well drained warm place in the garden
with a light soil.
