One of the plants

that the Master Gardeners gave out at the Northside Branch of the Lexington Public Library was anise hyssop. I'm not sure exactly of its uses as an herb, but it's a great pollinator. Every day I see various bumblebees laden with pollen, along with butterflies and moths, and other insects.

[Edit: Apparently these are the uses:

Culinary Uses: Flavouring teas, lemonades, and cocktails. Chopped fresh into green salads or fruit dishes. Baking into cookies, cakes, and shortbreads. Infusing into honey, syrups, and jellies.

Medicinal and Traditional Uses:

Respiratory support: Brewed into hot teas by Indigenous tribes and herbalists to soothe coughs, reduce chest congestion, and ease symptoms of colds or bronchitis.

Digestive aid: Taken as a warm tea or tincture to calm upset stomachs, ease gas, and relieve mild nausea.

Topical application: Crushed leaves are applied as a poultice or compress to help soothe minor burns, insect stings, and skin rashes.]

The plant is absolutely beautiful anyway, with its purple spikes and broad leaves. There are always visitors of some sort when I walk by. It was quite a small plant to begin with. It's taken over much of the container. There is a rosemary trailing over in front of it, a bell pepper behind it, and a small chamomile to the left, which hasn't bloomed yet, but it has dominated all of them.