Hyssop blossoms of this evergreen, shrubby plant attract honeybees and other beneficials. The leaves add a minty aroma and flavor to salads and soups. Oil of hyssop is used in liqueurs and perfumes. Likes full sun, zones 6 – 9, light, well-drained soil. Take cuttings or divide mature plants in spring or fall. Prune to 6 inches in spring and lightly mulch with compost. Replace every four to five years.

Height 1 – 2 feet, flowers June to August, blue or violet, in whorls along the stem tops. Usually disease and pest free. For medicinal use, harvest only green material. Cut stems just before flowers open and hang bunches to dry, store in an airtight container. A hot tea of the leaves and flowers or just the flowers can be taken at the early stages of colds and flue to promote sweating or any time there is chest congestion or coughing to promote expectoration. A cooled tea can be use externally as a compress on scalds, minor burns and bruises. A tincture (alcoholic extract) can be used in combination with other expectorant herbs like elecampane, licorice and anise for bronchitis and congestion. The essential oil of hyssop is pleasant smelling and can be used as a chest rub when mixed with a carrier oil. High does of essential oil may cause convulsions. Always dilute and only as recommended. Hyssop is an herb well worth growing in the garden. It is both ornamental and functional and a great bee plant. As a natural expectorant, it has many uses during the winter and spring months.