Herbs are undemanding and easily grown plants that can be used in a many different ways.  Some are edible and can be used as flavouring when cooking, whilst others are best added to salads and eaten raw. Herbs can also be used for medicinal purposes, as perfumes, in cosmetics, or they can simply be dried and used in pot pourris. In addition, many herbs are also very attractive to wildlife and it is these herbs that I intend to cover in this article.

Bees, birds and butterflies are of course very welcome visitors to the vegan-organic garden, where they help to pollinate fruit and vegetable crops and to control pests. So it is well worth the effort of planting a selection of these wildlife-friendly herbs in order to encourage wildlife to come onto your land. The following herbs are the best ones to plant for wildlife purposes:

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), otherwise known as oregano, has proved to be good for attracting wildlife into my garden. This perennial herb is popular with bees and I have also found that many small moths and a range of butterflies, including blue butterflies, will visit its small, whitish flowers. In addition, Oregano is also supposed to be a caterpillar food plant, although to date I haven't spotted any caterpillars on my plants. Oregano makes an attractive ground cover plant that grows well in full sun and likes a well-drained soil. Basil (Ocimum spp.) is another sun-loving herb, but this annual shouldn't be sown outside before May because it is frost tender.  Its nectar is used by bees and supposedly by butterflies, although I am not able to confirm this latter point.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) must be one of the best herbs for attracting bees so do allow some plants to flower if you grow this herb mainly for culinary purposes. Best grown in a sunny position, chives like a moist, rich soil and its lovely mauve flowers and fairly low height make it a very attractive edging plant for a border or for the herb area. 

Old English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is also very attractive to bees, including bumblebees and it's an excellent plant for attracting butterflies as well. However, these will mainly be of the cabbage white variety, so it is perhaps best to avoid planting lavender in your garden if you intend to grow brassicas too. Yes, I know planting lavender is supposed to attract the white butterflies away from your brassicas. However, my garden is always full of white butterflies in summer and they don't just visit the lavender I can assure you! Birds such as chaffinch, goldfinch and tits will eat lavender's seeds.

Another herb to consider, if you don't mind large numbers of white butterflies flitting around your garden, is Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis). For instance, hyssop could perhaps be planted as a low hedge around your herb area. Use blue, white and rose varieties of hyssop to attract butterflies.  Hyssop is also very popular with bees and hoverflies and is ideal for growing in stony areas where there is little soil.

Other herbs that will attract bees include Sage (Salvia officinalis) and Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) and bees are also very attracted to the lilac-pink flower spikes of many types of mint, including those of Peppermint, Water Mint and Spearmint. However, as mint can be invasive, it is best grown in an area by itself or even in a container. On the whole mints tend to prefer a more shaded spot than most other herbs. Another herb to consider growing in a partially-shaded position is Bergamot (Monarda didyma), more commonly known as 'Bee Balm' because bees are so attracted to the scent of its vivid red flowers. Lemon Balm's (Melissa officinalis) clusters of small, inconspicuous, yellow/white flowers are also very attractive to bees, but this plant prefers a sunnier position and needs a rich, moist soil. Like mint it can be invasive and so is perhaps best planted in a container by itself.

Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis) has lovely daisy-like single or double, yellow, orange or red flowers that are visited by both butterflies and moths. And I think you will find that merely seeing this attractive plant in bloom will lift your spirits! Look out for butterflies such as the comma, red admiral and small tortoiseshell visiting this very attractive nectar plant. And if you are lucky you may even see some chalk hill blue, or other kinds of caterpillars, using it as a caterpillar food plant. This annual likes a sunny position and a well-drained soil and is ideal for growing in containers and in window boxes.

Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox subsp. Arcticus) will also provide nectar for bees (including bumblebees) and blue butterflies, such as the common blue, although it does need to be grown in large patches in order to attract butterflies. Avoid Golden and Lemon scented varieties, as butterflies do not use these. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is used in much the same way as Wild Thyme, but is even better for attracting wildlife because it is also used as a caterpillar food plant by the large blue butterfly and by the Lace Border and Sussex Emerald moths. Creeping Thyme grows well in a rockery, on paths or walls and in containers and will even thrive in gardens by the sea. Lazy gardeners may also be interested to know that like lawn chamomile, creeping thyme can be used to make a very attractive lawn that requires little cutting. Like most herbs thyme thrives best in a sunny position.

Another herb that is well worth planting for wildlife purposes is Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).  This evergreen shrub will grow well in a sunny, sheltered position and like thyme grows well in poor soil. Its clusters of mauve-white flowers are popular with bees, hoverflies and supposedly butterflies, although I have yet to see any butterflies on mine, which tends to flower very early in the year. Because it is slow growing, rosemary is an ideal plant for growing in containers. 

Finally, I would just like to mention Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis), which is an excellent wildlife plant.  In the daytime, bees and hoverflies use its lovely, bright-yellow flowers. However, the flowers, which open at dusk, are especially popular with night-flying moths, such as the convolvulus hawk moth.  And of course, by attracting such moths into your garden you may also succeed in enticing bats to visit too, which will be attracted by this food source.  I must admit that despite growing this plant in my garden for many years, I still find watching its flowers open up as it goes dark quite a fascinating experience. In addition, many birds, including chaffinches, bramblings, greenfinches, goldfinches and siskins, eat evening primrose seeds. You may have heard already that evening primrose oil is a good source of Gamma Linolenic Acid  (GLA), which is mainly used to treat female disorders such as PMT?  But you may not be aware that humans, as well as birds, can eat evening primrose seeds!  If you want to eat the seeds that you have grown, then let the seed pods dry on the plant for as long as possible and when the weather starts to deteriorate in the autumn, snip of the seed-bearing stems and finish off the drying process indoors.  Be warned though that removing the seeds and separating them from their pods can be a fiddly process.  However, in my opinion it is well worth the effort, largely because you then have a free source of GLA for your own consumption.  Collect the dried seeds in a jam jar, or other airtight container and store them in the fridge until required. To use your seeds: Simply sprinkle them on salads, cereals etc. But don't heat the seeds – always eat them raw!

Most of the herbs listed here should be readily available from your local stockists. However, if you are unable to obtain these herb plants or their seeds locally, then then try some of the following mail order suppliers. Happy planting and I hope you get plenty of wildlife visitors!

Mail Order Wildlife Herb Stockists:

• The Wildlife Gardening Online Catalogue (Select Shop Index/Herbs for Wildlife)
  
• The Organic Gardening Catalogue  (Tel: 01932 253666)
• Suffolk Herbs (Tel: 01376 572456)
• Tamar Organics (Tel: 01822 834284)
  
• Chiltern Seeds (Tel: 01229 581137)
  
• John Chambers Wildflower Seeds (Tel: 01933 652562)

For more information on herb growing see my two earlier articles, Growing and Using Herbs (I) and Growing and Using Herbs (II).


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