Perennial
Sunset Hyssop
Agastache rupestris
Licorice-scented spires from midsummer to frost. Wants sharp drainage — plant it high.
- Pollinator
- Hummingbird
- Fragrant
- Deer-resistant
- Native
- Plant Select®
Quick facts
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 4–10
- Water
- Very low once established
- Sun
- Full sun
- Size
- 20–36 in. tall × 16–24 in. wide
- Bloom & interest
- Smoky orange-and-lavender tubular flowers, midsummer to frost
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Native range
- Native to the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico
- Plant Select
- Plant Select® recommended plant
Why we recommend it
A Plant Select winner (1997) with licorice-mint fragrance and months of hummingbird-magnet blooms that thrives on almost no water in the driest Western gardens.
Best regions: Front RangeHigh DesertSouthwestGreat Basin
How to grow it
Watering to establish
Plant in spring or early summer (not fall) and water weekly until established; then water only in extended drought.
Pruning
Leave stems standing over winter for crown protection; cut back to new basal growth in mid-spring.
Soil
Lean, gravelly, fast-draining soil. Wet winter soil and rich compost kill it.
Pairs well with
Read more
Where to buy
Shop Sunset Hyssop from trusted growers. For the best selection of xeric plants, try a mail-order specialist or ask a local independent nursery.
- High Country Gardens (opens in a new tab)Xeric specialist
- Nature Hills Nursery (opens in a new tab)Wide selection
- American Meadows (opens in a new tab)Perennials & seeds
- Etsy (opens in a new tab)Small growers
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