>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