💙 Hyssop

Hyssop is a bushy, aromatic evergreen with spikes of blue, pink or white flowers from midsummer, adored by bees and butterflies. The leaves have a minty, slightly bitter flavour and are a traditional herb in old cookery.

It is hardy, drought-tolerant and long-lived, making a neat low hedge or edging for a herb or vegetable bed. Cabbage white butterflies are said to be deterred by its scent.

Varieties to try

Blue hyssop (the standard)Roseus (pink-flowered)Albus (white-flowered)Rock hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis subsp. aristatus, compact)

Sow seed on the surface of seed compost in spring at 15–18°C, and plant seedlings 30–45 cm apart in June. It is quicker to buy plants or take softwood cuttings in early summer. Plant in full sun in free-draining soil, ideally poor and alkaline.

Add grit to heavy soils. Water until established, then plants need little care. Use as an edging 30 cm apart.

Top tips

• Buy a plant or take cuttings.
• Add grit to heavy soil.
• Choose full sun.
• Space 30–45 cm.

Trim in spring to keep the plant bushy, cutting back to about 10 cm above the ground, and again lightly after flowering. Don’t cut into old wood. Water only in prolonged drought and don’t feed.

Replace plants every 5–6 years when they get woody. Hyssop is generally free of pests and diseases, though wet winter soils cause root rot.

Top tips

• Trim in spring.
• Don't feed.
• Avoid wet soils.
• Replace when woody.

Watch out for

Root rot in wet soilAphidsWoodiness with age

Pick young leaves and shoot tips from spring through to autumn, cutting stems with scissors. The flavour is strongest just before flowering. Flowers are edible and attractive in salads.

For drying, cut stems before flowering and hang in a warm, airy spot.

Hyssop flowers are among the best for attracting bees, so only take half the flower spikes and leave the rest for the pollinators. Leaves can be harvested year-round in mild winters, though the flavour is milder than in summer.

Top tips

• Pick young leaves.
• Eat the flowers.
• Cut before flowering to dry.
• Pick regularly.

Use sparingly, as the flavour is strong and slightly bitter: chop into salads, soups, stews, game, stuffings and fruit dishes. Add to herbal tea, or to liqueurs. The flowers are a pretty garnish.

Dried leaves keep a year in a jar. Hyssop honey from the bees that visit it is excellent. Avoid in pregnancy and with epilepsy.

Top tips

• Use sparingly.
• Garnish with flowers.
• Dry for winter.
• Try with game.