Herb plants for attracting wildlife
Browse our selection of herbs that not only taste good but are highly effective at attracting wildlife into your garden too. Herbs have been used to flavour culinary dishes and for medicinal purposes for centuries – but they’re also well-loved by bees, butterflies, hoverflies, other beneficial insects and small birds. Angelica is a tall, shade-loving perennial herb that produces nectar-rich, small yellow flowers in early summer, providing a vital food source for pollinating insects, followed by seeds in autumn which make a scrumptious treat for birds. Alternatively, borage is an unfussy, Mediterranean herb with large, hairy oval leaves with a cucumber-like taste and intricate blue flowers on magenta stems. The flowers are a magnet for our favourite insects, as well as making an attractive garnish for salads and cocktails. Lavender is a popular choice for growing at the front of borders or to edge pathways and walkways with its rich perfume and distinctive violet flowers. They’re one of the best plants for attracting bees and butterflies into the garden with lots of different varieties to choose from. Leaving some of your culinary herbs to flower helps provide a rich source of nectar for bees and butterflies and will leave your kitchen garden teeming wildlife on warm summer days. Developing a wildlife friendly garden is not only good ecologically but also gives you the opportunity to watch wildlife up close at your leisure and helps keep unwanted pests at bay. Ladybirds, spiders, lacewings, birds and small mammals will naturally eat garden pests and avoid the need to spray with chemicals.