You may remember this post that Debbie Jinks guest posted on last month about how to make you garden insect friendly. Well today she is back with another guest post – this time some simple tips on how to add herbs to your garden to make it more insect friendly.
I personally love to cook with herbs and I also like the idea that they can help the environment as well so without further delay in we go;
Bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects are getting more and more threatened in the ever changing environment they live in. Our world doesn’t do them any favours, the amount of countryside that has been devastated by overdevelopment and changes in agricultural practices has a big impact on their survival.
Herbs are great for bees and butterflies and many other beneficial insects, and you get the added benefit of being able to use them yourself too.
Five of the best easy to grow herbs are:
- Chives – the lovely purple flowers are a valuable source of food for pollinating insects so don’t remove them.
- Mint – This herb can take over a garden if you are not careful, so it is best grown in pots. The flowers are great for bees and other insects.
- Thyme – Butterflies and bees are very partial to a few thyme flowers, and the leaves are great in Italian dishes such as bolognaise.
- Marjoram – This herb also spreads but not as much so if kept under control does not necessarily need to be grown in pots.
- Sage – grows into a small bush like plant, so you shouldn’t need more than one. The flowers are very unusual to look at but pretty too, and the bees love them
All of these herbs can be harvested for use when cooking but don’t overdo the harvesting, as you need to make sure there are plenty of leaves left to allow the flowers to grow, as this is the part of the plant that holds the pollen for insects.
Another massive thank you to Debbie for guest posting about such an interesting topic. You can read her previous post here.
To read more about this topic and more about her passion for wildlife and nature please check out her Facebook Page ‘A Bit on the Wild Side’.
