Water Horehound

Lycopus americanus

Native to: All of New England

Life cycle: Perennial

Light: Full/Partial Sun

Soil Moisture: Wet to Medium-Wet

Height: 2’
Spacing: 1-2’

Blooms: Jul-Sep
Bloom Color: White

Natural Habitat: Shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins

Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Host Plant (eg. Hermit Sphinx), Low Maintenance

“A plant for a variety of open wetland habitats, Water Horehound is a member of the mint family, although its fragrance is subtle and not minty. It grows in sunny, moist to wet habitats, including marshes, wet meadows, shores, ditches and fens. Small white flowers grow out of the leaf axils – that is, where the leaf grows out of the stem. Water Horehound also can be distinguished by its lobed lower leaves, which its relatives lack. ”

–Prairie Moon Nursery

“This 1-2’ native perennial has beautiful iridescent foliage in the sun. Historically, it has been used cosmetically as a hair and skin dye and medicinally. The flowers are pollinated by long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees and beneficial insects such as wasps and flies. It is a larval host of the Hermit Sphinx Moth. It is generally deer resistant and makes a good deer baffle.”

–Naturescapes of Beaufort, SC