The whole pollinator thing got you overwhelmed? Here’s an easy way to help out the pollinators. Use herbs as pollinating plants.
Why is everyone making such a big deal about pollinators? Read about that here. Got it? Great. So, what’s easy to grow and makes the bees, butterflies, and beneficials happy? And, oh yeah, are good companion plants, too? Herbs. Those culinary, easy-to-grow plants do more than make your food tasty.
As noted, herbs are easy-to-grow. (Read how to grow them here.) Cooks love them. Herbal teas are fun to make. (Gardenista tells you how here.) Their health benefits are huge. They’re beautiful and fragrant in the garden. (For herb pictures, Pinterest does it best.) And, now, they’re helping out pollinators. Let’s start planting.
You’ll need to allow the herbs to flower to benefit the pollinators. Consider incorporating them into your containers and perennial beds. Due to Comfrey’s size, it makes a beautiful back-of-the-border perennial. Basil is pretty when flowering, so plant extra just for the flowers. Each of these is easy to start from seed after the danger of frost is over. Transplants work, too. Listed below is the advised way to plant. Now, let’s hope all danger is frost is gone. The average last spring frost date is April 10. So, we’re getting there.
5 Herbs Pollinators Love
- Borage: annual
- Pollinators: Honey bees, bumblebees, and other pollinators.
- Beneficials: Spiders, damsel bugs, ground beetles, parasitoid wasps
- Companion plants: Tomatoes, squash, and strawberries
- Edible parts: Leaves and flowers
- Blooms: May-September
- Seed or Transplant: Seed
- Additional info: Long taproot breaks up clay soils. (Read about weeds benefiting soils here.)
- Basil: annual
- Pollinators: Bees and butterflies
- Beneficials: Repels asparagus beetles, tomato hornworms, aphids, flies, and mosquitoes.
- Companion planta: Tomatoes, asparagus
- Edible parts: Leaves
- Blooms: May-September
- Seed or Transplant: Transplant b/c it’s an early-season herb
- Additional info: Read about health benefits here.
- Comfrey: perennial
- Pollinators: Bees
- Beneficials: Lacewings, spiders, parasitoid wasps
- Companion Plants: Groundcover in orchards
- Edible parts: Not edible
- Blooms: May-October
- Seed or Transplant: Seed
- Additional info: It is balanced in N, P, and K and is used as fertilizer tea, mulch, or powder. It has taproots that help break up clay soil.
- Dill: annual
- Pollinators: Butterflies
- Beneficials: Hoverflies, predatory wasps, ladybugs
- Companion plants: Brassicas
- Edible parts: Foliage and seed
- Blooms: August-September
- Seed or transplant: Seed
- Additional info: A million health benefits, including preventing insomnia.
- Lavender: perennial
- Pollinators: Bees, butterflies
- Beneficials: Ladybugs and lacewings
- Companion plants: Cabbage and cauliflower
- Edible parts: Read here about culinary lavender.
- Blooms: June-August
- Seed or transplant: Transplants
- Additional info: Use lavender spray on your pillow for better sleep.
For any questions on growing these herbs, please refer to staff. They’re knowledgeable and ready to help.
Written by Cinthia Milner, landscape consultant, and blog writer.
B.B. Barns Garden Center serves all of Western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, and Tennessee.
