Hyssopus officinalis
Hyssop, Blue Hissop
- Height × spread
- 0.6m × 0.75m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This small shrub has fine foliage and a bristly, tussocky look reminiscent of hot, parched, stony landscapes. There are bright blue flowers in autumn. The shrub becomes pleasantly gnarled with age, though it is often pruned hard to keep it in a neat and well ordered condition. Its fragrance is sometimes described as warm, sometimes as bitter or minty. It was once used as a strewing herb, and the dried leaves and flowers are often used in pot-pourri. Formerly, it was also used to make a remedy to remove phlegm.
- Flower colour
- Blue
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, honey-almond
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 0.6m
- Spread
- 0.75m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Scented garden, Herb garden, Gravel garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Gravelly soil, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover, Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - mid · Planting
Prune young growth
Remove most of the young growth that the plant has made in the previous season. Leave just around 2 centimetres of young growth on the plant. Don't cut into old wood unless it is diseased or damaged.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.