GREAT HERBS FOR BEES
With enough sun, most herbs are really easy to grow – they will grow like weeds in the right circumstances and you’ll find new ones popping up to replace the ones that are reaching the end of their cycle. You have to resist the temptation to trim off all the flowers and leave at least half behind so you get the seeds to allow the plant to continue, and of course provide pollen and nectar for the beneficial insects.
SWEET BASIL (Ocimum basilicum)
This is one of those plants that you’re taught to pinch the flowers off so it doesn’t bolt (go to flower), but don’t! Let it grow and flower; let it bolt if it needs to. When it flowers and drops seeds these will sprout into new plants. Basil is an amazing bee attractor, with a sweet aniseed-like smell.
Basil needs a generous-size pot to give it room to grow up big and bushy, bearing in mind the bigger the bush, the better the bee magnet. It will grow anywhere there is sufficient sun (five to six hours a day).
BORAGE (Borago officinalis)
People always talk about borage in reverential tones as the ultimate bee plant, and it’s no wonder. This plant produces lots of nectar-rich, star-shaped purple flowers that bees just can’t go past, as well as good pollen.
The flowers reportedly restock their nectaries more regularly to increase bee visits.
Borage can be grown in partial shade. In my balcony garden I have a lot of borage that’s buzzing with blue-banded bees. The plant has also reseeded and is taking up a large area, so pots are a good option instead of a garden bed.
CHIVES (Allium schoenoprasum)
These relatives of the onion family are related to garlic, leeks and spring onions (scallions). The purple flowers are just gorgeous and edible as well, not to mention very popular with your local bees.
CORIANDER (Coriandrum sativum)
Not only fantastic in Asian dishes, coriander (cilantro) is attractive to all sorts of beneficial insects. It flowers easily if you let it bolt, which mine always seems to do almost straight away. I’ve since found out it’s from the stress of replanting seedlings, and if grown from seed it’s less likely to bolt.
Experiments done in eastern Europe showed that yields of coriander plants increased from 800–1200 kilograms (0.9–1.2 tons) per hectare, up to 1800– 2000 kilograms (2–2.2 tons) per hectare when beehives were placed around the crops, with the bees preferring coriander over all the other available flowers.
LAVENDER (Lavandula spp.)
The best lavender species for most of Australia is French lavender (Lavandula stoechas). This one is more resistant to humidity and less susceptible to fungal problems than other species, and once established will be mildly drought tolerant. Lavenders, generally, are great for bees because they can have very long flowering periods.
Bees that sup on lavender produce good lavender-fragrant honey, but you’d need fields of it to taste it in honey your bees make.
LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis)
If you have a lemon balm in flower the bees won’t leave your garden alone: they love it. It can be grown in pots or garden beds in full sun or partial shade. Lemon balm produces both pollen and nectar.
MINT (Mentha spp.)
Common mint can be a crazy weed so is best in pots, where you can control its tendency to spread. Bees seem to really love its feathery sprays of white or pink flowers. As for the leaves, pick some for your mint tea, your mojito, or even just a refreshing jug of water, with lemon slices.
OREGANO (Origanum vulgare)
Another great garden herb is oregano. If you let it grow freely, it produces tiny, delicate flowers in pink or white, which make it another bona fide bee magnet. Oregano honey is common in Turkey and the Mediterranean – no surprise that it likes full sun.
PARSLEY
Have you ever seen a parsley flower? It belongs to a special class of plant called ‘biennials’, which only flower in the second season when its root is substantial enough. So it will take some time before the bees enjoy this one, and in the meantime you’ll have some lovely herby flavour to add to cooking. In order to allow it to grow big enough to flower, harvest the outside stalks, leaving the inner ones to grow.
ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Another classic bee plant, rosemary has many varieties. Some grow into big bushy plants and others are prostrate ground covers. Nearly all of them can tolerate drought or dry soil. They do prefer full sun, so don’t keep them in the shadows. As for the bees, rosemary produces carbs for their diet (nectar) but little pollen (protein).
SAGE (Salvia officinalis)
This is a lovely herb to have in the garden. It’s a hardy full-sun lover, and its blue flowers are good nectar producers. Sage is a great bee plant and a few leaves in burnt butter sauce are divine. Sage is happier in a garden bed, but will also be fine in a larger pot.
THYME (Thymus spp.)
There are many varieties of thyme, so pick one that suits your area and space. There are prostrate thymes, which spread as ground covers, and more upright versions that grow up to be regular bushes. A traditional honey plant in Greece, thyme can tolerate full sun and low water, preferring well drained soil. It’s a perennial plant and a significant honey and pollen producer.