>Liz,
>  We have a plant which sounds just like what you describe, named
>Agastache, it has the odor of anise or licorice.
>  The bumblebees sleeping in the flowers really is quite
>fun to see!
>Eileen Gregory
>
>> We have a perennial mint in our garden called (according to the
>> landscaper) *Elsholtzia sauntonii*  (??).  It vaguely resembles Monarda,
>> grows about 4' high, blooms late in the summer with dull purple flower
>> spikes that look a bit like caterpillars.  Bumblebees are CRAZY for
>> this plant.  Every night last season it was covered with sleeping bees.
>> A real draw.
 
Agastache (commonly known as Hyssop) is a mint, but not - as far as my
botanical reference goes - particularly close to Elsholtzia (though
apparently close to catnip). The strong scent is apparently shared among
the three native species, and I've found Agastache to be very good at
attracting native bees such as Andrena, Hylaeus, and various Halictidae. My
kind of plant! ;-)
 
Doug Yanega      Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA     phone (217) 244-6817, fax (217) 333-4949
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82