Small shrubs or perennials, with narrow, highly aromatic leaves and spikes of flowers in violet-blue, white or pink. Excellent for bees. Some can be used for low hedging. One species native to Europe, H. officinalis. Long used as a culinary herb, with a spicy flavour. The Greek hyssopos, meaning 'holy herb', as it was traditionally used for cleaning sacred places.
As with most members of the mint family, the tubular, two-lipped flowers are designed to restrict access to the nectar by specific groups/sizes of pollinators: those of hyssop are especially attractive to honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies which can cover the spikes at the peak of flowering.