Anise hyssop and catmint: Comparing pollinator visits

Assessing the pollinator visitation rates of Agastache foeniculum versus Nepeta subspicata calls for more than declaring a universal winner. Visitation rate measures insect visitors during defined flowering periods; it does not measure nectar, plant longevity or the total number of flowers. Those distinctions matter when two plants offer very different displays. Learn more about Comparing The Foliage Persistence Of Pachysandra And Galium Odoratum Basics.

Perennials in Focus provides a useful model: selected plants are trialled across multiple gardens, with bloom period, colour, height and spread recorded across seasons. Chicagoland findings describe a particular climate, not a ready-made answer for Melbourne, Perth or Sydney. Australian gardeners can apply the same discipline while accounting for reversed seasons, humidity and their own pollinator communities.

Set the measurement before choosing a winner

Define the rate before watching insects. Record distinct flower visitors during a fixed ten-minute period, then calculate visits per flowering stem. Repeat at matched times of day on several dates. Keep per-stem rates separate from seasonal totals, since more flowers or a longer display can increase cumulative visits without changing the rate at any one moment. Neither plant can be assigned a dependable rate from appearance alone.

Count a visitor when an insect contacts a flower, rather than every wing movement. Separate honey bees, native bees, butterflies, hoverflies and beetles where identification is reliable. Note pollen collection and nectar robbing separately, since neither contributes equally to pollen transfer.

Repeat under comparable weather. Temperature, cloud, wind and time of day can change activity more than a small difference between the plants. Treat the exercise as a small-stakes comparison, where consistent effort matters more than one lucky session.

Understand the plants being compared

Agastache foeniculum is anise hyssop, a clump-forming perennial with aromatic foliage and upright stems commonly reaching 60–120 cm. Its dense lavender spikes offer bees and butterflies room to land, and flowering can continue beyond a brief flush. Hummingbirds may visit in North America, but they are not part of Australia’s fauna.

Nepeta subspicata is a lower, spreading catmint, usually 30–60 cm high, with aromatic grey-green leaves and lavender-blue flowers above the mound. It often flowers before taller perennials reach full bloom, potentially increasing per-stem visits even when its seasonal total is lower.

Both may be sold simply as hyssop or catmint. Check the botanical label, especially because the familiar hybrid Nepeta × faassenii is a different plant. Australian garden centres often use broad labels such as “pollinator friendly” and “drought tolerant”; those are marketing cues, not identification. A grower checking the label is being fair dinkum.

Read regional results with care

Perennials in Focus trials selected plants across Chicagoland gardens and seasons. This multi-site approach is valuable because flowering date, soil and exposure vary. Its observations remain regional, however, and should not be presented as a universal verdict for Australia.

Foliage belongs in the record too. The programme’s explanation of foliage persistence basics shows why leaf condition and duration deserve attention alongside flower colour. For these plants, note pre-bloom health, response to dry conditions and how long the planting remains attractive after flowering.

A practical comparison sets comparable traits beside measurements to collect, with size and flowering dates treated as site-dependent expectations:

Characteristic	Agastache foeniculum	Nepeta subspicata	Interpretation
Typical mature size	Upright clumps, often 0.6–1.2 m	Spreading clumps, often 0.3–0.6 m	Height affects garden placement and visitor access
Chicagoland flowering window	Usually midsummer into early autumn	Usually late spring into early summer	Seasonal gaps can favour one plant
Visitor groups to record	Bees and butterflies; hummingbirds in North America	Bees, butterflies and hoverflies are useful groups to watch	Separate visitor groups rather than using one combined total
Standardised rate	Visitors per flowering stem per ten-minute session	Same denominator and observation interval	Allows a fairer comparison of different display sizes
Seasonal contribution	Extended, upright flowering display	Earlier, lower flowering display	Each provides activity at a different part of the season

Expected flowering does not guarantee an expected insect count. A higher catmint rate could coexist with more total visits for anise hyssop. A heat spell may shorten one display while heavy rain suppresses flight during another’s, so these events belong in the notes that explain rate changes.

Allow for Australian seasons and wildlife

Chicagoland has cold winters and humid, hot summers. Southern Australia offers a different seasonal rhythm: Melbourne often has cool, dry summers and frosty winters, Sydney has humid summers, and Perth has dry heat. Chicago’s July corresponds roughly to January in Australia, but moisture and daylength are not mirror images. Irrigation and drainage can change the result.

Measure light as well as temperature. Melbourne’s winter sun can be weak, while Perth’s summer light is intense; reflected heat beside a wall may extend catmint flowering. A garden that becomes a furnace in January may also need more water than a Chicago site. A local beaut can look lovely yet disappoint the bees.

Australian visitor groups also differ from Chicago’s. Native bees, honey bees, flies and butterflies should be considered, while sunbirds may visit tubular flowers in some regions. There are no hummingbirds in Australia. Sort observations by group and season rather than expecting the same North American mix.

Build a trial suited to local conditions

An Australian trial can borrow the regional logic without copying the planting calendar. Use matched plants at two or more sites, perhaps a council garden and a nursery demonstration plot. Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens and the Waite Arboretum at Adelaide’s Urrbrae illustrate suitable public-horticulture settings, subject to approval and local management. Plants should share comparable soil, irrigation and observation dates.

Existing programme material, including trial snapshots, provides a useful model for dated, comparable records. At each visit, record plant stage, weather, time, stem count, visitor groups and visit totals, plus events such as irrigation, pruning or a heat spike. Fixed-point photographs help compare flowering density and foliage condition.

Secure botanical identity from the outset. Source verified N. subspicata, not a generic catmint cultivar, and check local nursery and environmental guidance before distributing seed. Record height, spread and leaf persistence as well as flowers. That removes common sources of false differences before the first bee arrives.

Choose a plant for the role you need

Choose anise hyssop for an upright focal point, generous fragrance and a display that carries through the warm season. Choose catmint for a low border, an earlier nectar window and a smaller footprint. These are starting points; local growing conditions and counts determine the stronger pollinator return.

Make the next step measurable. Select healthy, correctly named plants, choose a sunny site with suitable drainage, and schedule repeated ten-minute observations through flowering. Record results in a shared garden-group spreadsheet and share them with your local nursery or council. Perennials in Focus offers a regional model, while local observations extend it for Australian conditions. Start with three plants of each species, keep the method consistent and share the first results locally.