The
mint family of wildflowers, which includes a range of wild
herbs which abound in our countryside, is one that is very
valuable to our native wildlife. Many of these herbs have been
used in the past (and increasingly in the present) for
medicinal purposes, but for the wildlife gardener their major
contribution is their ability to attract insects to their
pollen and nectar. And it is no coincidence that the vast
majority of these sweet smelling, useful plants fall in to the
Labiate family - plants
characterised by their scented leaves, spikes of hooded
flowers in whorls up the stems and copious production of
nectar.
There are many species of mint
in our countryside, but the plant most often encountered is
the fragrant water mint (Mentha aquatica). What a
pleasure it is to walk alongside a tumbling stream in the
countryside and to have ones senses assaulted by the pungent
smell of mint! This is an easy plant to grow on the edge of a
garden pond or a bog garden if you don’t mind the fact that
this, and all of its cousins, has a well-known habit of
spreading like wildfire. Water mint, however can easily be
grown in a small watertight container – I have it in a half
barrel, alongside brooklime (Veronica beccabunga) and
lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula). These
wildflowers are submerged in their individual pots towards the
back of the barrel, so it can still be used for filling a
small watering can for the plants in containers round about.
Water mint can be used to flavour new peas or potatoes, but it
has a milder taste than most cultivated mints. Apple mint (Mentha
rotundifolia) is perhaps the tastiest of the native mints,
but many other familiar species including spearmint (Mentha
spicata) and horse mint (Mentha longifolia) are not
true natives but escapees from gardens which have become
naturalised. As far as native wildlife is concerned the mints
are insect magnets, irrespective of their origins. Bees,
butterflies and hoverflies all visit them for nectar and
pollen and once they have gone to seed, goldfinches in
particular will take the seeds.
Many members of the Labiate
family are grown in gardens and marjoram is familiar to most
gardeners. Known in the culinary sense as oregano, and an
important component of Mediterranean cooking, marjoram occurs
throughout Europe and there are many useful wild species. Our
native plant (Origanum vulgare) has a less pungent
taste than some of the southern European species, but is
useful none the less in our kitchens and our gardens. It is
one of the best butterfly attractants for a sunny spot and can
be grown in a container on a patio if you are short of space.
The well known golden variety has yellow leaves and is more
compact, making it suitable even for a window box and Hopleys
variety, a garden centre favourite, has denser clumps of
darker pink flowers. All marjorams attract bees and
butterflies, especially the smaller species of butterfly such
as the gatekeeper, common blue and brown argus, as well as the
more usual small tortoiseshell.
Thyme is another duel purpose
wildflower, worth is weight in gold in the herb garden and
kitchen and incredibly attractive to wildlife. There are
several garden-worthy wild thymes but the majority of our
native species do require a free draining soil. Sheltered
spots between paving stones, on rockeries or scree slopes, or
along the edges of gravel paths, the wild creeping thyme,
Thymus praecox subsp. brittanicus, will make itself at
home. It could also be used to clothe a ‘living roof’ on a
garden shed or outbuilding as long as there is adequate
drainage. Here its dark pink fragrant flowers, covered with
insects, could be enjoyed at head height. Its ability to
attract bees is legendary and thyme honey is a real treat.
Small tortoiseshell butterflies and honeybees love all the
wild thymes including the less common Breckland thyme
Thymus serpyllum and the large thyme Thymus pulegiodes.
Another labiate with a herbal
name is the wild basil Clinopodium vulgare. Sadly this
has no basil scent at all but is still a pretty plant for a
hot spot in the garden or for light shade beneath a hedge
where the soil is dry. It attracts bumblebees and solitary
bees to its whorls of spicy scented pink flowers. Lesser
calamint, Calamintha nepeta, also enjoys a dry spot and
has delicate mauve flowers which some butterflies will visit.
This species makes a small bushy plant and looks wonderful at
the front of a cottage border. Basil thyme (Acinos
arvensis) again has no true basil aroma but its small
stems, covered with tiny bright purple flowers, will creep
gently and cover dry soil.
Self-heal (Prunella
vulgaris) is a wildflower that many of us know from our
lawns, especially the ‘neglected’ ones. Like most of the
others mentioned self-heal is a perennial and this particular
species happily survives in closely mown grass, but we
generally only notice it after returning from a holiday! If a
lawn is left unmown for a couple of weeks, self-heal’s dense
purple flowers may well appear. It is an excellent plant for
a meadow or if you are lucky enough to have it already in a
lawn, try mowing less often or leave small patches unmown, in
order to appreciate its beauty. The flowers, often
overlooked, really are quite lovely when viewed at close
quarters and attract some of the smaller butterfly species.
We have really only scratched
the surface of the Labiate family – meadow clary, downy
woundwort, gipsywort, wild catmint, motherwort, white
horehound – the list of useful and attractive garden plants
goes on and on. And each one has a wealth of native insects
that depend upon it for nectar and pollen, or as a larval food
plant. The ease with which they grow is an advantage to the
novice wildflower gardener, and they are generally quite easy
to germinate from seed. This is a useful attribute as not
many are available as nursery grown plants. Seed can be sown
this month in a peat-free compost and the pots or trays left outside
to germinate next spring. Seedlings can be pricked out into
small pots or plugs and the young plants put out when the soil
is not too dry. They are generally pretty pest free too, so
in all trouble free and great for wildlife.
Growing wildflowers in our
gardens can be an incredibly positive thing to do for our
local wildlife. Insects of all types will benefit from the
provision of the plants that supply the majority of their
food, whether that be leaves, roots, seeds, nectar or pollen.
An increase in the numbers of insects and other invertebrates
in your garden will automatically increase the number of
birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles too, as many of these
will be dependant on the invertebrates for their food.
The whole web of life in your garden hinges on what you grow
and you can influence that garden food chain by growing some
native wildflowers amongst the dahlias and delphiniums. Sow
some seeds now and increase your garden wildlife
significantly! |
