Hyssop is a very easy-care spice plant. The following are important for the aromatic herb to thrive: a sunny location, dry, calcareous soil and regular pruning, carried out in spring or autumn.
After cutting, the hyssop can be dried
Hyssop is mainly known from the Mediterranean cuisine. In the meantime, it can also be found more and more often in the home garden. It also enriches typical German dishes such as potato salad, roasts or soups. Hyssop is easy to grow and just as easy to care for. You can get the seeds at a very affordable price online or at the garden center around the corner.
General care instructions
For the good growth of hyssop plants in the garden, only a few care rules must be observed:
- sunny to full sun location,
- loose, calcareous, stony soil,
- water little, do not fertilize,
- occasionally move to another place in the garden.
Regular pruning for more compact growth
Hyssop is referred to as a herb, but over time it tends to become woody and develop into a semi-shrub. On the one hand, this offers a number of advantages, for example to create a hedge-like border around a herb or rose bed. On the other hand, the older shoots wilt and become unsightly over the years. You can counteract this if you carry out regular pruning measures.
Pruning can be done in spring before sprouting or in fall after flowering. It is best to cut back the plant no later than August to about a third or half. Cutting later can result in the cut wounds not healing until the first frost. Otherwise, the cut can be made up for in spring (around March). Until then, the old branches offer good winter protection in severe frost.
tips
As for lavender, the same applies to hyssop: if possible, do not cut into old wood, as there is usually no longer any budding to be expected.