Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow and are fantastic at bringing in a wide variety of wildlife to your garden. Bees, butterflies, moths, and birds can all be attracted to your garden with the right herbs.
Herbs have been used for many centuries for their use in medicine and cooking, but they also make an ideal plant for wildlife as many of them have beautiful flowers and foliage. Herbs can be grown in flower borders and containers, even on a window sill.
If you want your herbs to benefit birds and insects such as butterflies and bees, you will need them to get to the flowering stage.
Below you will find a list of some great herbs that will attract wildlife into your garden.
If you want to start growing herbs there are some great starter kits on Amazon.
Angelica
Angelica is a tall, early-flowering herb that is full of nectar. This herb will bring in bees and hoverflies along with birds, which will feed on their seeds.
Bergamot
Bergamot, not to be confused with the bergamot orange, has red-pink flowers that are spiky. Bergamot will attract bees into your garden.
Borage
Borage is a herb that has blue flowers. Hoverflies, bees, and butterflies are just some insects that borage will have flying around them.
If you want to know why plants turn towards the sun, you can find out in this article I wrote
Caraway
With small white flowers, caraway is a leafy member of the parsley family. The flowers attract butterflies and bees to their nectar.
Chives
Bees and butterflies are just some of the insects that are attracted to the fragrant smell of chives.
Fennel
The yellow flowers of the fennel attract hoverflies, and the seeds provide food for many species of birds. Fennel is also essential for butterflies as it provides food for the larvae, including the American swallowtail you may be able to spot as a caterpillar.
Lavender
With its beautiful smell, it is no surprise that lavender attracts both bees and butterflies to its flowers.
Lemon Balm
As you would imagine, lemon balm does give off a scent of lemon. Lemon balm has whitish flowers, which will bring butterflies and bees to your garden.
Mint
One of my favorite smells, mint, will also bring bees and butterflies to your garden.
Oregano
Another herb used often in cooking, oregano, is fantastic at attracting butterflies and bees with its white flowers.
If you want to know why some plants have thorns you can find out in this article I wrote
Rosemary
Growing rosemary in your garden is sure to bring bees to its pale blue flowers.
Sage
The small, purplish flowers of sage will attract butterflies and bees.
Thyme
Thyme is excellent at attracting many types of insects including bees and butterflies.
If you want to start growing herbs there are some great starter kits on Amazon.