While we usually build our garden with the priority of looks or organic food in mind, today we are going to be crafting towards something different. We share this land with birds, bees, butterflies, and countless other creatures that play a starring role in the pollination and reproduction of the plants we love. So why not garden with purpose that benefits far more than just curb appeal? In this article, we’ll walk through Fernlea Flowers’ own Harvesthyme herb line to show you exactly which pollinator-friendly plants you can grow to turn your herb garden into a thriving, buzzing little ecosystem.
Key Takeaways: Quick Summary
- Save The Tea: We start off our list with some chamomile.
- A Hint Of Dill: Looking into a plant not only delicious to you, but to pollinators as well.
- An Aromatic Beauty: Moving on to the beauty that is Lavender.
- An All-Time Classic: A look at the bee loved classic that is rosemary.
- Some Mint To Top It Off Ending the article with taste of mint.
Table of Contents
For More Than Just Tea
To kick off our list of top pollinators from Fernlea’s Harvesthyme line, we have an herb almost everyone already knows: chamomile! Best known for its calming tea, this smooth, light green, daisy-like flower is also a serious draw for bees, butterflies, and birds, thanks to its fragrant, nectar-rich blossoms. Chamomile prefers cooler weather, so early spring or late summer is the ideal time to start sowing seeds directly into your garden or flower beds.
Tasty To All
Carrying on the theme of growing herbs that both you and your local pollinators can enjoy, next up is dwarf dill. Commonly used in seafood dishes, salads, sauces, and of course, pickles, the dill flower is just as appealing to the creatures that roam your garden as it is in the kitchen. Its big, feathery flower heads, a soft mix of green and yellow, are one of the very best nectar sources for beneficial insects, drawing in bees, butterflies (especially swallowtails), hoverflies, and ladybugs. If you’re growing dill for cooking, try letting a few extra stalks flower fully instead of harvesting every leaf. It costs you very little and pays off in pollinator traffic all season long.
The Beauty That Is Lavender
Next on our list of pollinator-friendly plants is lavender. This fragrant purple beauty is prized worldwide for cosmetic uses like perfumes and bouquets, but it earns its keep in the garden too, offering a reliable food source for the bees and hummingbirds that visit. If you’re wondering how to grow lavender successfully, timing matters. Plant it in late spring, once the weather has warmed enough for the roots to establish without the stress of extreme heat. Once it’s settled in, lavender will keep pulling in honey bees, who put its nectar to good use making honey, along with hummingbirds drawn to its tall, fragrant spikes. It thrives equally well in containers or garden beds, so there’s no excuse not to fit it in somewhere.
A Hint Of Blue
Looking to add a splash of blue to the garden? Look no further than the rosemary flower. An all-time classic for bees, these small blue blooms sit atop aromatic, needle-like leaves with a distinctively pungent flavor that chefs love as much as pollinators do. Rosemary tends to perform best in a container, though it can hold its own in herb and flower gardens too, provided it gets good drainage and plenty of sun. Beyond being a major attractant for bees, honey bees, hummingbirds, and other like-minded pollinators, rosemary earns a permanent spot in plenty of kitchens, as it’s as useful on the plate as it is in the garden.
A Bit Of Mint
We’re grouping these two together since they share so much in common: peppermint and spearmint. Both bring a cooling, minty flavor that makes them naturals for drinks, desserts, and dishes year-round. As far as the pollinators are concerned, their soft pink blooms are easy to spot and even easier to love, drawing in honey bees, bumble bees, and select butterfly species throughout the growing season. One thing to keep in mind: both peppermint and spearmint are enthusiastic spreaders, so growing herbs like these in containers, rather than open beds, is usually the better call if you want to keep them contained without losing any of their pollinator appeal.
Enjoy The Company
Congratulations, you now have a solid lineup of pollinator-friendly plants to help grow the visitor population in your garden. Whether it’s bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, or all of the above, you can look forward to a livelier, more active outdoor space right at your doorstep, plus all the bonus benefits that come with growing plants like lavender and chamomile in the first place. Want to learn more about each of these herbs? Click here to visit Fernlea Flowers’ Harvesthyme page and browse our full line of more than 120 vegetable and herb varieties, or click here to find a Fernlea Flowers provider near you. Happy planting!