The Top 6 Flowering Herbs to Grow for Bees and Pollinators
Gardening for bees and pollinators is becoming popular these days, as more passionate gardeners realize the importance of helping to support these vital members of our ecosystems. If you’re looking for an easy way to provide a haven filled with nectar and pollen sources in your yard or garden, consider growing some flowering herbs specifically designed to attract beneficial insects.
Flowering herbs can offer an attractive alternative to traditional bedding flowers while lending their unique aromas and flavors to tasty recipes as well! Here we run through six essential flowering herbs that will boost your landscape this season when pollinators come buzzing around.
Lavender
Lavender is one of the most beautiful and fragrant herbs, making it a favorite for attracting bees and other pollinators. The growing process from seeds may seem daunting but it can be a rewarding experience. Herb growing is an age-old practice with many traditional methods, such as using companion planting or rotating growing areas for different lavenders.
While you can purchase starter plants, growing herbs from seeds gives gardeners a particular challenge and sense of accomplishment. With lavender, you can grow it from scratch by germinating lavender seed pods indoors, which can give you some unique varieties that you might not find elsewhere.
Lavender is a rewarding herb to grow, requiring minimal maintenance and care – just enough time to prune the plants when blooms have faded will ensure the maximum production of new flowers!
Calendula
Calendula, also known as pot marigold, is a unique-looking flower that makes an excellent source of nectar for bees and other pollinators. Interestingly, each calendula seed pod has about 15 individual flowers, making this flower a powerhouse of sustenance for hungry pollinators. And while its bountiful production of nectar is one of its primary benefits to bee populations, there’s much more to appreciate. Unlike many flowering herbs with vibrant yellow centers and subtle hues around the petals, calendula has dazzling orange coloring, which adds visual richness to outdoor spaces.
It also tends to be resistant to disease and can last many months when planted in areas with ample sunlight but the key reason why it’s an excellent herb to have in gardens is because of the vital energy it provides bees and pollinators who are seeking out nectar from flowers when all other plants have gone into hibernation season.
Borage
Borage is a top flowering herb to grow for bees and pollinators due to its bright blue coloring and ability to attract a variety of species. The vibrant hue signals to insects like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds that its nectar-rich flowers are available and ripe for collecting. Once they’ve picked up the scent of the budding blooms, they come in great numbers to take advantage of the plentiful supply of nutrition.
Not only is this great news for beneficial pollinators as it provides an energy source to survive and reproduce, but it’s also important for cultivating a healthy garden’s ecosystem as plants are able to reproduce in full force through successful fertilization. So if you’re looking for an easy flower to focus on this season that offers maximum impact for your buzzing friends, Borage is the way!
Catmint
Catmint is an absolute must-have for any gardener with an interest in attracting bees and pollinators. This visually appealing flowering herb contains fragrant oils that act as a natural attractor for these important garden guests.
Not only does catmint’s inviting scent draw them in, but its attractive flower spikes also provide both food and shelter, making it one of the easiest herbs to grow for a wide variety of pollinators.
From honeybees to moths, hummingbirds to butterflies, this humble plant offers something special and necessary to every species of beneficial insect visitor. No serious gardener should be without it—catmint truly stands out as a top flowering herb!
Rosemary
Rosemary is one of the most popular herbs for attracting bees and pollinators due to its incredibly fragrant small white flowers. This herb is a favorite for organic gardens and container gardens alike, providing food and a safe habitat for pollinators as well as a wonderful flavor for use in cooking.
It’s one of the easiest herbs to grow in almost any climate, requiring little maintenance aside from occasional trimming or pruning to keep it healthy and encourage more blooms.
Rosemary also not only attracts pollinators but also acts as a repellent of certain insects, making it an ideal choice for protecting vegetables or other plants that may be vulnerable to pests.
With its long lengths when left to grow freely, rosemary provides beautiful backdrop accents in any garden design while also giving essential resources and nesting opportunities to local bees!
Chamomile
Chamomile is an incredible flowering herb to grow for bees and other pollinators because it can provide nectar for many weeks. The small daisy-like flowers have a sweet smell that is irresistible to bees, beneficial insects, and other pollinators, making chamomile an excellent plant to cultivate in virtually any garden.
Not only is the chamomile flower quite beautiful, but it is also known for its healing properties – you can steep the flowers into a hot beverage that helps reduce stress and relax the mind.
Adding this alluring flowering herb to a garden of meadows or flowerbeds can provide essential benefits to all kinds of pollinators, allowing them to feed off the nectar and help maintain proper flourishing ecosystems.
By growing these lovely pollinator-friendly plants in our gardens, we can make a difference in the lives of many beneficial insects. They provide beauty and resources for us, and it’s only fair that we give something back to them.
Lavender, calendula, borage, catmint, rosemary, and chamomile are just some of the flowering herbs that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds to your garden; these colors combined with their wonderful scents make any garden an oasis for wildlife.
Knowing which pollinators like each flower will ensure you get the most out of your garden while doing something positive for Mother Nature! Planting flowers carefully found at friends’ properties or purchased online will help you create an environment loved by all of us – humans and bugs alike.
