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Back in
the dim and distant past the herb garden was considered to be
a necessity among those who actually had a garden. These days
an area of fragrant edible ‘herbs’ can sometimes be unfairly
relegated to a corner of an ornamental border, or a few herbs
may be grown alongside vegetables on the edge of an
allotment. But these plants are wonderful in their own right
and are hugely attractive to wildlife; they deserve pride of
place in any plot. A dedicated herb border can make a real
statement as it positively buzzes with life for many months of
the year. In the past, herbs were grown mainly for their
medicinal properties, the flavouring of food being secondary
to their amazing ability to heal, soothe and repair our
bodies. Nowadays the word ‘herb’ covers a very broad spectrum
of plants but it originally meant a 'useful' plant whether
that be for healing or eating. Botanically ‘herb’
relates to the word ‘herbaceous’ and covers any plants without
woody parts, but now we tend to accept that the word refers to
an aromatically scented plant used for flavouring or healing.
In a wider context these plants have many additional
properties – some herbs are insecticidal and others can be
used as natural dyes. Most of us who grow herbs do so for
flavouring our food and drink and who doesn’t prefer their
pasta with tomatoes infused with basil or a delicious Thai
curry, fragrant with coriander. In my garden herbs are
of the utmost importance but not just for their flavouring
properties. I use them to make fresh herb teas, gargles
for sore throats and balms for sore skin, but more
importantly, many are excellent wildlife attractants. It
makes sense to give these useful plants pride of place in the
garden. Useful annuals can be added for an extra splash
of colour and more pulling power for wildlife. The
result is a complete garden in itself, full of multipurpose
plants that add life and colour.
The
most commonly grown herbs can be put into three categories.
There are those with woody stems (so in the technical sense
they are not strictly herbs, as they are not herbaceous),
perennial plants that die back to the ground every winter and
annuals/biennials.
Shrubby
herbs are valuable because they add form to the herb garden in
winter and some can also add a little height. Rosemary in
particular is great from this point of view, being an elegant
shape at all times of year. It does, however, have a habit of
suddenly dying in the winter, as it suffers in wet weather if
the roots are waterlogged. It is worth ensuring that you have
a few cuttings of all the shrubby herbs in the event of them
expiring unexpectedly. Increasing the drainage around these
Mediterranean plants will certainly prolong their lives but
it is inevitable that they will occasionally succumb to a
British winter. Sage too, with its purple and variegated
leaved forms, adds structure and colour to a herb bed and like
all the members of the Labiate or mint family, is loved by
bumblebees. Hyssop with blue, pink and white flower forms is
a magnet to bumblebees. The best of this group are the thymes;
there are too many forms of this useful shrubby herb to
describe here in detail but for culinary purposes my favourite
is Thymus vulgaris, as it is possible to take handfuls of
leaves for flavouring pasta sauces, chutneys, herb jellies and
many other dishes, without spoiling the plant. Some of the
creeping thymes are more delicately flavoured, lemon being the
commonest variety, but these don’t have the robust nature of
the upright types nor a excess of leaves. Thyme is one of the
best herbs for attracting honey bees, which are in dire need
of a little help, plus small tortoiseshell butterflies also
love thyme. You could also include the lavenders in this
group, wonderful for so many types of insect, with the added
advantage of attracting goldfinches to the seeds in the
winter. Don’t forget to leave the flower heads if you want to
encourage these gorgeous birds. Clipping off the dead stalks
can easily be done in early spring.
The
vast majority of herbs are perennials and these can be used to
fill out the spaces between the more shrubby types. There is
a wide selection of suitable plants and again many of them are
great for wildlife. Try to include varieties that will serve
several purposes – culinary, medicinal and wildlife
attractants. Chives, marjoram, lemon balm and all the mints
will attract both bees and butterflies. The mints, however do
need to be contained in some way or they will spread rapidly.
The accepted wisdom of planting mint in a bucket with no
bottom to prevent the roots spreading does not work in my
experience! Mint will root from runners on the soil surface
so it is much better to grow your mint in a separate container
to avoid any problems. Don’t be tempted though to avoid it
completely. It has so many uses apart from the obvious mint
sauce and can be used for a cup of fresh mint tea in the
morning, in a tangy yogurt and mint dip or add a sprig to your
glass of Pimms on a summer evening! Plus it is a
wonderful butterfly attractant especially for the small
tortoiseshell. Another useful perennial
is the aptly named bee balm or bergamot. This is not the
bergamot that flavours Earl Grey tea but a useful plant in its
own right, with powerful antiseptic qualities. Available in a
range of colours from subtle pinks to bright scarlet, it adds
drama to a herb border for several months of the year. Sweet
cicely also falls into this category – a wonderfully scented
herb all parts of which are edible. The seeds in particular
have a sweet, aniseed taste and can be used to flavour tart
fruits. The white umbels of flowers attract many small flying
insects including hoverflies.
The
annual and biennial herbs are probably my favourites. They
can add a great deal to your herb patch – filling in spaces as
well as increasing your stock of useful plants. Borage is
especially useful, certainly as far as honey bees are
concerned. Many insects adore this plant and it is now grown
as a crop in our countryside - a field of borage humming with
bees is an amazing sight. To my mind the most useful annual
of all is coriander - my garden never has enough. This
powerfully scented herb brings hoverflies in their thousands
to feed on its pollen, as do the flowers of parsley.
Preparing a Herb Bed Herbs
love warm sunny places (many are originally Mediterranean
plants) so choose your spot for your herb bed well - south
facing and out of the wind if possible. Most herbs prefer a
well drained soil so you may want to add course grit to heavy
clay to improve the drainage. Organic compost will also
benefit your new plants. Plant woody herbs and
perennials in
the next couple of months and sow annuals as seeds in March or
April to fill in the spaces. Biennial herbs such as parsley
can be sown in spring for a summer supply, but seeds sown in
June or July will give you a good crop of winter leaves. For
even more colour sow seeds of bright nasturtiums (the flowers
are edible and look amazing in salads) English marigolds (also
edible flowers), or evening primrose for more height. Globe
artichokes can also enhance a herb border and they attract
huge numbers of bumblebees. Make your herb border even more
wildlife friendly by including a small log pile amongst the
flowers, or a home made insect habitat, using dried hollow
stalks of sweet cicely held in a bundle with garden twine and
tied to a bamboo cane at a height of about 60cms. You might
even like to include a peanut feeder (avoid mixed seeds which
could fall to the ground and germinate!) to bring more birds
to your border.
Herbs
are amazing plants full of health giving properties and many
are wildlife magnets. If you have only the smallest of
gardens, grow them in pots in your sunniest spot on a patio or
by the back door. They will flavour your food, soothe your
senses and feed your wildlife – all at the same time.
Ten
Great Herbs for Wildlife
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Marjoram attracts bees, bumblebees and a variety or
butterflies including small tortoiseshells, whites,
gatekeepers, common blues and small coppers.
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Lavender is fantastic for many species of butterfly, silver
Y moths, honeybees and bumblebees, plus goldfinches love the
seeds.
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Borage is one of the best bee attractants you can grow,
providing both nectar and pollen.
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Rosemary also provides both nectar and pollen for bees and
some butterflies will feed on the nectar.
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Thyme
of all types is brilliant for bees and small tortoiseshell
butterflies.
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Coriander produces masses of tiny white flowers which makes
it one of the best hoverfly attractants.
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Chives provide nectar and pollen for bees and some butterfly
species.
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Mint
attracts honeybees and bumblebees as well as the gorgeous
iridescent green mint beetle and finches will eat the seeds.
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Parsley is biennial and has to be left a second year to flower but then
attracts many smaller insects including masses of
hoverflies.
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Winter savory is not always terribly hardy but worth growing
for its small flowers which bees love and its seeds which
bring goldfinches to the garden.
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