The September 1992 and January 1993 "The Other Side of Beekeeping" requested reader input about experiences with anise hyssop. This series of articles is our response to your replies. Most who made plantings were disappointed, yet historically, very competent apiculturists thought very highly of anise hyssop. In addition, our experiences with this plant and several closely related species make us ponder why the responses were not more positive. In this article, we review the history and biology of the genus Agastache as a bee forage. In the second article of the series, we will use this information to speculate on some reasons for anise hyssop's poor showing in most plantings. In the final article, we will provide advice for those who would like to try growing anise hyssop.