The Madame Beespeaker Anise Hyssop Project

Agastache foeniculum at UBC Farm

 As an advocate for Vancouver's pollinators, I would like to encourage you to plant Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) in your balcony pots, back yard, school or community garden. It is a perennial herb in the mint family with edible purple flowers tasting of sweet licorice, which is why is is often called "Licorice Mint". The leaves can be used fresh or dried to make a delicious calming tisane. Anise hyssop syrup is popular in desserts and cocktails. It has a flavor and scent profile that has been compared to root beer.

Sometimes called the "Honey Wonder Plant," one acre of anise hyssop can support up to 100 honeybee hives. The flowers also attract bumblebees and butterflies. I have grown it in full sun, partial shade and even in small planter boxes. The flower heads dry nicely and retain some of their mauve tinge. You can plant the tiny seeds in the spring or late September, and they germinate best sown close to the surface, barely covered with soil. Anise hyssop can bloom from June through September and if it is planted near your Brassicas, it repels cabbage moths. Agastache foeniculum is native to parts of B.C., Alta., and Sask.

When you grow Anise Hyssop, I encourage you to save the seeds, divide plantings and in turn, pass them on to other gardeners so we can get our city blooming! Large quantities of seed can be bought at Richter's, a Canadian herb company.

Madame Beespeaker's Spring Tonic Licorice Mint Tea

Makes 1 pot

2 tbs dried raspberry leaf

1 tbs dried anise hyssop leaves and dried flowers

1 tbs dried wild bergamot leaves and flowers

1 tbs dried nettles

1 tsp dried elderberries

Pour boiling water over the leaves and let steep for 5 minutes.

This is a calming, balancing, cleansing and healing tea. The elderberry will help your immune system. The anise hyssop is good for your throat and digestion. You could add green black or rooibus tea for more body. Experiment and make it to your own taste. As with any herbal tea, it is medicinal--check with your doctor if you have a medical condition or are currently taking medication before drinking herbal teas.

A native bee naps on the leaf of an anise hyssop plant at UBC Farm

Nourishing Teas from Montreal

Near the UQAM Metro Station there is a tea room that sells Manga and books related to Japanese culture called Manga Thé.

I found a cute cookbook called Mes Petis Bento by Laure Kié which combines influences from her Japanese and French heritage.

I thought this would be a good incentive for my son and I to practise our French and make his lunches more exciting.

Just around the corner from Manga Thé is Montreal's premier tea shop and tea room, Camellia Sinensis. I decided to buy some herbal teas because they are unique blends made locally.

I love the way the teas are packaged with very detailed information about how to prepare the tea. This Exhilerating blend is made from fennel, anise hyssop, bee balm (monarda), and orange. I love this blend because it contains both hummingbird bumble bee and honeybee plants and it tastes wonderful.

I also bought "La Nourricière" (The Nurturerer) which is a healing tea containing vitamins and minerals with mint, nettle, cornflower, and pansy. These are butterfly and bee plants.

The final tea I purchased was poetically called "La Bergère" or "The Shepardess." It contains oats, catnip, mallow and lavender which aids digestion and soothes and relaxes. The teas are fresh and beautiful, with colorful dried flowers that nurture and heal. You can order their teas online. Sadly, I didn't have time to sit and enjoy a tea in their tea room. I love that you are asked to be quiet while enjoying your tea and if the room gets too noisy, someone bangs a gong to remind you to keep it down!

Fuschia Epicerie Fleur

When I read about Montreal's "Flower Grocery," a tea room named Fuschia featuring edible flowers I knew I had to find it. Luckily it found me and I was able to go twice during my visit. The first morning we sampled rose and cedar tea, a rose chocolate cupcake and pumpkin mousse. We returned another afternoon for chai and pumpkin-carrot crisp and just took in all the loveliness of the room.

MOPARRC Green Tea Party

Thanks to everyone who came out in their green togs to our green tea party. It turned out to be a lovely day in the Emerald City.

This could be you! The Legion of Flying Monkeys Horn Orchestra is good at hypnotizing and gaining new recruits at every event.

Sandy gave a talk about the paper garden she has planted in the annual bed including flax, wheat, corn, and what used to be a patch of hemp.





These are the vegan zucchini cupcakes with a lime glaze. We also had several types of shortbread made with teas, cucumber sandwiches and green salsa. I'll post the recipes soon.


Here's Sharon, one of the green tea ladies. We actually have a tea bush in the MOP garden and Tanya at Shaktea just informed me that you have to let a tea bush mature for ten years before you pick the buds and/or leaves.

Hey, there's my gang of smiling friends. They've been drinking the happy tea.

The tea ladies make sure proper protocol is observed.

We had tea made from plants from the MOP garden and my garden: Mint and fennel, mint with lemon verbena, and wild bergamot with anise hyssop.

White Crocuses and Dandelion Roots

By yesterday afternoon the sun-warmed crocuses in the MOP community garden were fully in bloom, highlighting the contract between old and new in the garden.

Nothing goes to waste in the garden: old sunflower heads and lily pods will be used by students to create ephemeral art.


Here comes the new growth of comfrey (above), and chamomile (below).


The red-flowering currant is almost in bloom and new leaf buds are coming along in those lovely light shades of yellow-green.

Dandelion, chickweed, and some spicy mustard make excellent spring salad greens.