# Is there a secret to growing hyssop?



## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

I grow lots of it for bee gardens. This seed requires light for germination, so you should place the seed on top of the soil and lightly press them into the soil. Do NOT cover the seed! Keep the soil moist but not soggy. If you can squeeze more than a drop or two of water from a clumb of soil, it is too wet.


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## mikesfarm (Jul 4, 2007)

I have some seeds. When do you plant them ? Do you start them inside ? Do seedlings transplant well ? Thinking of germinating them in wet napkins under a light like other seeds.
Thanks
Mike


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

I stated several blue hysopps this year in little pots. They where on my heat mats with the tomatoes & peppers.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

Thanks everyone

I do have some seeds that have sprouted, they just don't seem to be making any progress. They are in a cold frame and I had good germination rates.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Funny your should mention Anise Hyssop. It is in the Herbal Remedie part of Bee Culture this month. 

Did you know:

Ansie Hyssop is excellent for easing diarrhera and angina? Interesting huh? Sure wish I had a plant or two to knaw on tomorrow about 7 a.m.


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

What a coincidence!!!....I am starting some Lavender Hyssop this morning. It looks good in the picture, so I really hope it does well. Good luck to you guys, too.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

Derek said:


> Funny your should mention Anise Hyssop. It is in the Herbal Remedie part of Bee Culture this month.
> 
> Did you know:
> 
> Ansie Hyssop is excellent for easing diarrhera and angina? Interesting huh? Sure wish I had a plant or two to knaw on tomorrow about 7 a.m.


Wow, didn't know if was in Bee Culture this month- I just wanted to try it as a bee plant. I have read that you can take anise (seeds I believe it was) for gut problems, but didn't know about the angina. Of course, if I have chest pain that I suspect is my heart, I will calling the doc and not going to the garden.


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

At the risk of starting a cliche' festival, I have to say "better safe than sorry"... I'm hoping for angina or a case of nerves causing your muscles to contract...You take care now.
LtlWilli


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## Nate Ellis (Jun 28, 2008)

Extremely easy perennials..If your using flourescent lights to get them started you should have them as close as possible to the light. Overwatering seedlings can cause them to damp off. They will flower the first year from seed and reach full size the following year. In the new abc xyz they say something like it has a stunning reputation as a honey producer but so many plants are needed its generally inefficient to use. I planted 144 plugs last spring and had bees working them hard just a few months later.


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## buz (Dec 8, 2005)

*Plugs?*

Where did you get plugs? I'd like a source if available..........


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

It's supposed to be easy to reproduce from tip cuttings.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

buz said:


> Where did you get plugs? I'd like a source if available..........



From a web search of plugs or liners - call or check their sites for availability. I used from Ball, Germania and Harris:

Ball Seed West Chicago, IL 800 879-2255 www.ballseed.com Express Seed Oberlin, OH 800 221-3838 www.expressseed.com Fred C. Gloeckner Co. Harrison, NY 800 345-3787 www.fredgloeckner.com Germania Seed Co. Chicago, IL 800 380-4721 www.germaniaseed.com Grimes Seeds Concord, OH 800 241-7333 www.grimesseed.com Harris Seeds Rochester, NY 800 544-7938 www.harrisseeds.com Henry F. Michell Company King of Prussia, PA 800 422-4678 www.michells.com Ivy Garth Seeds Chesterland, OH 800 351-4025 www.ivygarth.com Jack Van Klaveren, Ltd. St. Catherines, ON 800 665-1642 www.jvk.net Park Seed Greenwood, SC 864 223-8555 www.parkwholesale.com Stokes Seeds Thorold, ON 800 396-9238 www.stokesseeds.com VIS Seed Arcadia, CA 626 445-1233 www.visseed.com


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## sylus p (Mar 16, 2008)

In that same Bee Culture article it says that 2.5 acres would support 250 colonies!!! Thats 50 colonies per half acre.... I guess we don't need lots and lots of acreage to effect foraging conditions in our areas after all.


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## lupester (Mar 12, 2008)

Did anyone find out any information on getting the plugs or liners?


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## wormwood (Jun 11, 2010)

i bought two anise hyssop plants from a local community garden sale last year. they got about 2 feet tall last summer. this year, one of them is stuck at about 2 feet tall, the other is easily 6 feet tall. still haven't bloomed yet.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

I have three large plants from last year, and they are about 2 feet tall now, bushy, no flowers yet.
But I also broadcast two whole packets of anise hyssop seed this Spring in a patch in the garden, then raked the surface about lightly, patted it down gently and kept damp. That's several hundred seeds. From that I got about 50 plants that are now 3-5" tall and looking good. 
Note- the seeds seemed to take a LONG time to sprout and a LONG time to get bigger. I'm on my third succession patch of spinach in the same time it took to get my 4" hyssop plantlets!  But with 30 or 40 new baby plants, I should have plenty to spread around and keep going.


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## larrythebeek (Dec 29, 2009)

Dragonfly, did your plants ever get any size to them? I sprouted 30 or so of these, and none of them has gone beyond 1/2 inch tall. Moved some to the flower beds, tried miracle grow on some... Shade or sun, over 6 weeks old and only 1/2 tall. Should I have started these in cool weather?

The borage I started at the same time are HUGE.

Larry


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## kathygibson (Nov 3, 2009)

I planted anise blue hyssop this year from seedings....growing very well in my garden. The plants are probably about 4 ft tall. Interestingly, the honey bees don't work them much. The bumbles are all over them however.:scratch:


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

larrythebeek said:


> Dragonfly, did your plants ever get any size to them? I sprouted 30 or so of these, and none of them has gone beyond 1/2 inch tall. Moved some to the flower beds, tried miracle grow on some... Shade or sun, over 6 weeks old and only 1/2 tall. Should I have started these in cool weather?
> 
> The borage I started at the same time are HUGE.
> 
> Larry


I had the same experience (again). They sprout, look like they are going to do fine, get 1/2 to 1" tall, die. I tried leaving them in the starter pots longer this year, hoping maybe I had transplanted too soon before. No dice. I will have to resort to finding some plants to transplant, which I don't mind, but haven't been able to find any locally.


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## lupester (Mar 12, 2008)

I planted a 10' x 30' patch this spring from seed. I did not see any coming up at all. I called the company I got the see from and asked if they had a germination problem with the batch I got. One of their master gardeners called me back. He asked if the soil was loose. I told him all the supplements I had added to the soil recommended by the dirt doctor. Then he asked if I was irrigating it. I told him no since most of the wildflowers I have do not get irrigation. He stated that the seed and small plants need consistent watering. So I went down to the Home Depot and got 200' of poly irrigation pipe to get the water down there and 100' of 1/4 drip hose with drippers every 1'. Sure enough 1 week after I started dripping it 30 minutes a day and up they came. Most of the plants are 8" or so right now. I also have grown 30 indoors under grow lights and moved them to the patch. Unfortunately the 3 weeks i was waiting for the seed to grow the weeds started to grow again so now I am hoping the Anise out grows it.


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## spieker (Jun 26, 2009)

I was able to grow anise hyssop in seedling trays last summer which I planted in the fall. They are blooming. I have been disappointed that I see very few honey bees on them. Like Kathygibson, I see lots of bumble bees working them. I have been wondering if anise hyssop is as good of a honey plant as Bee Culture says.

My catnip and borage are covered with honey bees.


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## Bill AR (Sep 28, 2009)

I have a 50 ft. row of the anise hyssop in my garden transplanted this spring from seed grown in cell packs. They're growing fine, 3 feet tall with loads of flower stalks but mostly bumble bee and butterflies on them... and I have several hives of bees within 100 ft of them. The bees don't seem to be working anything in preference to this and there are a few bees working the flowers but I can't see anything impressive about this as a bee plant. Maybe things will change as the summer progresses.... The experiment isn't over 'till frost I guess. I'll try Borage next year I think.


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## Rottybee (Mar 18, 2010)

I bought some anise hyssop from a nursery this spring and they have grown to about 3' tall so far. I'm surprised to hear that some only see bumblebees on theirs. My honey bees are working the hyssop like crazy. Here are some pics I took with my macro lens.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243075


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

The first 2 weeks that my borage started blooming, it was only bumblebees coming to it. Then, the bumbles began neglecting it and my honeybees have been all over it.

Now my anise hyssop is blooming in its first week, and all i see is a few bumbles on it. I wonder if the same thing will happen.

Along the same lines, my sunflowers are now blooming and they seem to attract only small bumble bees too. :s

All this is happening within a dozen yards of my 2 hives.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

Thanks Lupester. I'll have to try your method.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

My anise hyssop is blooming now- 3 large two year old plants and some younger ones.
My bees are mostly ignoring it and going for the cucumber blossoms.
Oh well- all the more cukes for us!


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