Agastache 'Licorice Candy'
Description: perennial; an incredible, edible, anise-scented perennial with nonstop blooms of fluorescent rosy-purple flower spikes from summer into fall. One of our fundraiser plants. Truly a hummingbird magnet!
Height: to 4 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.
Position: full sun and lean, well-draining soil.
Uses: culinary - edible flowers taste like sweet licorice candy and can be added to fruit salads and desserts or simply popped in your mouth for a natural breath freshener! The leaves can be added to soups or used as a tarragon substitute. Ornamental, to attract pollinators.
Winter Hardiness: to 5 F and below
Care: dead-heading not necessary, we recommend pruning all of the old, woody growth down to about 6 inches above the ground about two weeks after new growth emerges from the base in mid spring. Hard pruning in fall can be detrimental to regeneration in spring. A 2 inch layer of fine gravel around the base can prevent crown-rot in the winter and result in a more vigorous plant come spring.
Notes: we originally raised this as a seedling from a batch of open-pollinated Agastache mexicana subsp. mexicana seeds; we introduced it in 2013 as one of our fundraiser plants for the Alzheimer's Association of Oregon.
