I read with interest the letter in your winter newspaper issue from Joyce White regarding bees’ love of hyssop. We have had a hyssop next to our deck stairs for years, and every August we can hear the constant buzzing of bees as they work the blossoms.
In 2018 I thought I would add to the bees’ delight by planting another hyssop. However, the bees ignored it. They did so because the bush they like is the anise hyssop, not the blue variety I had purchased. Lesson learned.
This year I planted another anise hyssop, and we had more bees than ever. We have lots of other flowers for the bees to enjoy, but none receives the attention that the anise hyssop does. Thank you, Joyce White, for sharing the wonders of this plant.
– Dewey Meteer, Nobleboro
Response
Thank you for your letter, Dewey. Joyce says that her hyssop plant does attract bees but that she’ll probably plant anise hyssop this year as well, to compare the two.
Ed.
