Fertilising guide

How to fertilise Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee')— schedule & NPK

Also called Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop, Golden Anise Hyssop.

More about golden jubilee anise hyssop

About Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee' · also called Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop, Golden Anise Hyssop · herb

Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is a 2003 All-America Selections winner grown for its luminous gold-green foliage and lavender-blue flower spikes. The leaves carry a strong anise-liquorice fragrance and are used as a culinary herb and in teas. An excellent pollinator plant, it attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds through summer and into autumn.

Growth habit: Upright, bushy herbaceous perennial (often treated as annual in zones 4–5)

Watch for — Loss of golden foliage colour: Leaves revert to greener tones in heavy shade or with excess nitrogen fertiliser. Ensure full sun placement and use a low-nitrogen feed to maintain the distinctive golden-chartreuse colouration.

What fertiliser golden jubilee anise hyssop actually wants — and why

Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is a soft, fast leafy herb that you harvest hard — a modest balanced feed keeps tender growth coming without tipping it into bland or bolting.

A balanced general feed (even N-P-K) at modest strength — enough nitrogen to keep replacing the leaves you pick, but not so much that flavour thins or it bolts to seed.

For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for golden jubilee anise hyssop: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.

How often to feed golden jubilee anise hyssop, and which months

Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For golden jubilee anise hyssop:

Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring. Avoid excess nitrogen, which causes lush green growth at the expense of the golden leaf colour and flower production. A low-nitrogen formula (e.g. 5-10-10) is preferred. In practice: a balanced liquid feed every few weeks through the main growing and harvesting season (spring through early autumn), more often the harder you are picking it.

The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when golden jubilee anise hyssop is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.

What strength to mix for golden jubilee anise hyssop

Half strength is a sensible default for golden jubilee anise hyssop — enough to fuel regrowth after cutting, gentle enough that the leaves stay aromatic rather than watery.

Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water golden jubilee anise hyssop first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the golden jubilee anise hyssop watering schedule.

Signs you are over-feeding golden jubilee anise hyssop

Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for golden jubilee anise hyssop:

Fast, soft, pale growth with diluted, less aromatic flavour.
Early bolting (running to flower) and a bitter edge.
Salt crust and scorched tips on container plants.

Signs you are under-feeding golden jubilee anise hyssop

Pale, slow regrowth after cutting and small leaves.
A tired, stalled plant that cannot keep up with harvesting.
Yellowing older leaves in a long-spent pot.

If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full golden jubilee anise hyssop care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.

Flushing and leaching the salts

Pot-grown golden jubilee anise hyssop builds up feed salts quickly — water until it drains each time and flush the pot with plain water every few weeks, especially on a sunny windowsill.

Organic vs synthetic feeds for golden jubilee anise hyssop

Organic options

A diluted seaweed feed or worm-casting tea keeps soft growth coming without overdoing it. UK: dilute seaweed or Westland; US: Espoma Garden-tone or Neptune's Harvest. Gentle, hard to overdo, flavour-friendly.

Synthetic / liquid feeds

A balanced liquid feed at half strength through harvesting — UK: Phostrogen, Baby Bio or Westland; US: Miracle-Gro all-purpose at half strength. Fast regrowth; just do not overdo the nitrogen.

Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.

Fertilising golden jubilee anise hyssop — frequently asked questions

What fertiliser does golden jubilee anise hyssop need?

A balanced general feed (even N-P-K) at modest strength — enough nitrogen to keep replacing the leaves you pick, but not so much that flavour thins or it bolts to seed. Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is a soft, fast leafy herb that you harvest hard — a modest balanced feed keeps tender growth coming without tipping it into bland or bolting.

How often should I feed golden jubilee anise hyssop?

Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring. Avoid excess nitrogen, which causes lush green growth at the expense of the golden leaf colour and flower production. A low-nitrogen formula (e.g. 5-10-10) is preferred. Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring. Avoid excess nitrogen, which causes lush green growth at the expense of the golden leaf colour and flower production. A low-nitrogen formula (e.g. 5-10-10) is preferred. In practice: a balanced liquid feed every few weeks through the main growing and harvesting season (spring through early autumn), more often the harder you are picking it.

What strength of feed for golden jubilee anise hyssop?