Subscribe Donate

Topics

8 forms of capital active hope agroecology agroforestry alder buckthorn Amazon anxiety apples arthritis back yard beans Bec Hellouin beech tree bees beneficial berries biochar biodigester biodiversity blackberries blackthorn book review brain brassica cage budget build building campesino capital card deck Celtic festivals change changes chemical-free chickens christmas circular clay pot cleansers cleansing milks climate change climate emergency climate grief climate solutions climbers climbing cob comfrey community compost compost teas connection consciousness conservation container cooking coppice coppicing cordial cosmology courgettes crafts crisis crop protection Cross Quarter Festival cultural emergence culture cut flowers cycles degraded design diary diversity DIY do it yourself dryland earth care Earth's energy ecoculture economics ecopoetry ecosystem ecosystem restoration camps ecosystems edges edible edible flowers education efficiency elder elderflowers elements elixir energy equinox ethics face mask fair shares Fairtrade farming feedback feminine ferns figs film firewood floristry flower essence flower garden flowers food food forest food garden footbath forage foraging forest garden forest gardening forests fruit fruit leather fruit trees fungi future future care gardening garlic gift economy gin Give Nature a voice Glennie Kindred global poverty glut grapes greenhouse grief groundcover grow grow food grow your own growing guilds habitat habits handcream harvest harvests hawthorn hazel hazelnut healing shrubs healing trees health healthy soil heart health hedgerow hedging herbal herbal remedies herbal teas herbalist herbs holistic holistic planned grazing home homeless homemade wine homestead hope Hugelkultur humanure hummus hungry gap IBC tanks Imbolc incense increase yields Indigenous inexpensive influence inspiration International Womens Day jam keyline kitchen garden lacto-fermentation Lammas land landscape landscapes life lifestyle limeflowers livelihood livestock living labs logs Looby Macnamara lotion low cost low-impact Lush Spring Prize macerations Mangwende Orphan Care Trust market garden market gardening marmalade marshmallow mass heater meadowsweet medicinal microbes microfarm Midwest Permaculture mimic mindset mitigation money Morag Gamble moringa Mother Earth mulch multifunctional mushrooms native plants natural natural building natural fertiliser natural skincare natural swimming pool nature nature connection nitrogen no dig no waste no-dig November nutrition nuts observe oca October off-grid oil cleansing orchard orchards organic organic flowers organic gardening outdoor shower oven oxymel oyster pallets pasture-fed patterns people people care peoplecare perennials permaculture permaculture design permaculture magazine award permaculutre permayouth pesto pests philippines pine tree pips pizza oven plant profile plants pollinators pollution polyculture polycultures preserving principles propagating protection pruning prunings psycho-spiritual awareness psychospiritual transformation rainforest rainwater raspberries recipe recipes reduce reed beds regeneration regenerative regenerative agriculture relative location relative matter remedy renewable renewable energy resources restoration reuse revolution rhythms rootstock rootstocks roundhouse roundwood runner beans sage salad salve Samhain schools Scotland scotts pine seasonal seasons seeds selfcare Sepp Holzer september septic tanks sewage treatment shade sheet mulching shrubs skincare sloes slugs small solutions small-scale smallholding social justice soil health solar solutions sowing spiritual spring squash stacking functions stock-free straw straw bale summer sustainable Sweet Bay syntropic systems temperate terraces thistles thrutopia timber timber framing tincture tonic toolkit tools transformation trees upcycle urban veg garden vegan veganic vermicomposting vinegar walnuts waste water water cleansing watering weeds wellbeing wetland wild edges wild food wild garlic wildflower wildlife wine recipes wings winter winter greens winter salads wood stove woodburner woodland woodland management woodlands worms yarrow year-round food yield young people youth zai pits zone 00 zoning

Topics

8 forms of capital active hope agroecology agroforestry alder buckthorn Amazon anxiety apples arthritis back yard beans Bec Hellouin beech tree bees beneficial berries biochar biodigester biodiversity blackberries blackthorn book review brain brassica cage budget build building campesino capital card deck Celtic festivals change changes chemical-free chickens christmas circular clay pot cleansers cleansing milks climate change climate emergency climate grief climate solutions climbers climbing cob comfrey community compost compost teas connection consciousness conservation container cooking coppice coppicing cordial cosmology courgettes crafts crisis crop protection Cross Quarter Festival cultural emergence culture cut flowers cycles degraded design diary diversity DIY do it yourself dryland earth care Earth's energy ecoculture economics ecopoetry ecosystem ecosystem restoration camps ecosystems edges edible edible flowers education efficiency elder elderflowers elements elixir energy equinox ethics face mask fair shares Fairtrade farming feedback feminine ferns figs film firewood floristry flower essence flower garden flowers food food forest food garden footbath forage foraging forest garden forest gardening forests fruit fruit leather fruit trees fungi future future care gardening garlic gift economy gin Give Nature a voice Glennie Kindred global poverty glut grapes greenhouse grief groundcover grow grow food grow your own growing guilds habitat habits handcream harvest harvests hawthorn hazel hazelnut healing shrubs healing trees health healthy soil heart health hedgerow hedging herbal herbal remedies herbal teas herbalist herbs holistic holistic planned grazing home homeless homemade wine homestead hope Hugelkultur humanure hummus hungry gap IBC tanks Imbolc incense increase yields Indigenous inexpensive influence inspiration International Womens Day jam keyline kitchen garden lacto-fermentation Lammas land landscape landscapes life lifestyle limeflowers livelihood livestock living labs logs Looby Macnamara lotion low cost low-impact Lush Spring Prize macerations Mangwende Orphan Care Trust market garden market gardening marmalade marshmallow mass heater meadowsweet medicinal microbes microfarm Midwest Permaculture mimic mindset mitigation money Morag Gamble moringa Mother Earth mulch multifunctional mushrooms native plants natural natural building natural fertiliser natural skincare natural swimming pool nature nature connection nitrogen no dig no waste no-dig November nutrition nuts observe oca October off-grid oil cleansing orchard orchards organic organic flowers organic gardening outdoor shower oven oxymel oyster pallets pasture-fed patterns people people care peoplecare perennials permaculture permaculture design permaculture magazine award permaculutre permayouth pesto pests philippines pine tree pips pizza oven plant profile plants pollinators pollution polyculture polycultures preserving principles propagating protection pruning prunings psycho-spiritual awareness psychospiritual transformation rainforest rainwater raspberries recipe recipes reduce reed beds regeneration regenerative regenerative agriculture relative location relative matter remedy renewable renewable energy resources restoration reuse revolution rhythms rootstock rootstocks roundhouse roundwood runner beans sage salad salve Samhain schools Scotland scotts pine seasonal seasons seeds selfcare Sepp Holzer september septic tanks sewage treatment shade sheet mulching shrubs skincare sloes slugs small solutions small-scale smallholding social justice soil health solar solutions sowing spiritual spring squash stacking functions stock-free straw straw bale summer sustainable Sweet Bay syntropic systems temperate terraces thistles thrutopia timber timber framing tincture tonic toolkit tools transformation trees upcycle urban veg garden vegan veganic vermicomposting vinegar walnuts waste water water cleansing watering weeds wellbeing wetland wild edges wild food wild garlic wildflower wildlife wine recipes wings winter winter greens winter salads wood stove woodburner woodland woodland management woodlands worms yarrow year-round food yield young people youth zai pits zone 00 zoning

10 Easy Herbs to Grow for Bees

From the people at the Great British Bee Count, here are 10 easy herbs to grow that are delicious, great in the kitchen and also for the bees.

These herbs are easy to grow, and provide a valuable source of food for bees and other pollinating insects. They are also great for cooking with, and growing your own herbs saves you money too. Plant a variety of herbs to flower with every season, and you’ll be helping lots of different bees to find nectar and pollen throughout the year.

Join the Great British Bee Count17 May-30 June. Learn more about bees and how to help them this summer. Download the free Great British Bee Count app, which includes a fab bee-friendly plant guide: www.greatbritishbeecount.co.uk

Marjoram

© Pixabay

This aromatic herb produces pinkish-white drifts of nectar-rich flowers, and comes alive with bumblebees, honeybees, leafcutter bees and furrow bees in the summer. It will still be flowering in September. Marjoram is also a brilliant herb for the kitchen because it’s so versatile and tastes great in lots of different dishes.

Flowering season: Summer and early autumn
Varieties: Look for Origanum vulgare, the marjoram that grows wild in the UK. Pot marjoram is usually a neater growing version, and sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) is also widely available.

Mint

© Pixabay

Mint is very easy to grow. It’s a good idea to put it in a pot on its own, because it can invade the space of other plants if left unchecked. The flowers attract bees from mid-summer onwards. If you have a pond try growing water mint (Mentha aquatica), as bees and hoverflies seem to particularly love this, and it can be used in cooking just the same as other mints.

Flowering season: Summer and early autumn
Varieties: Try spearmint (Mentha spicata) for the traditional minty taste, peppermint (Mentha x piperita), which has a slightly stronger flavour, and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens).

Fennel


© Wiki

The bright yellow flowerheads of fennel are rich in nectar and pollen, and will attract a variety of pollinating insects including mining bees, yellow-faced bees, bumblebees and honeybees. The fennel herb is related but slightly different to bulb or Florence fennel, the white vegetable, but has the same aniseed flavour and produces aromatic seeds after the flowers have finished. Fennel can grow quite tall so if you have space for it to get big, it’s well suited to a sunny spot at the back of a border.

Flowering season: Mid to late summer
VarietiesFoeniculum vulgare. Bronze-leaved varieties are edible too.

Borage


© Pixabay

An easy-to-grow annual, also known as ‘starflower’, that keeps on flowering for many months. The bumblebees and honeybees absolutely love borage because the flowers are very rich in nectar. The bright blue blooms are relatively shallow so they attract bees with short tongues, like the buff-tailed bumblebee. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible. Leave some flowers for the bees though!

Variety:Look for the annual Borago officinalis, which self-seeds, so you shouldn’t need to buy more plants each year.

Chives


©
Linda Brown / Great British Bee Count

© Pixabay

Chives are easy to grow in pots or a window box. They are best used fresh, snipped with scissors at the base of the plants to encourage more leaves to grow. Let your chives flower and they will provide welcome nectar for bumblebees, honeybees, mason bees and leafcutter bees. The pretty purple flowers can also be eaten and used to add a splash of colour to salads – but leave some for the bees to visit too.

VarietyAllium schoenoprasum or try Allium tuberosum, which has a delicate garlic flavour.
Flowering season: Spring and summer

Rosemary


© Pixabay

This hardy and drought-tolerant herb can be harvested all year round for the fresh needles. It also has a long flowering season, with the flared blue-purple flowers attracting mason bees, flower bees, bumblebees and honeybees. Rosemary can grow into a large bush, so if you are short of space try growing creeping rosemary in a pot, in a sunny position.

Varieties: Look for Rosmarinus officinalis or creeping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus).

Flowering season: Starts flowering in spring and can continue to flower throughout the year, sometimes even in winter.

Sage

© Pixabay

The purple spikes of tubular flowers on both edible and ornamental sage are popular with leafcutter bees and long-tongued species such as the garden bumblebee. Fresh, edible sage is a world apart from the dried herb you might have come across in stuffing, and the leaves are available to pick pretty much all year round if the plants are kept in a sheltered spot.

Flowering season: Late spring, summer
Varieties: There are many different varieties of Salvia to choose from which are great at attracting bees. Try common sage (Salvia officinalis) for cooking.

Hyssop


© Pixabay

A magnet for bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinators, hyssop is a lesser-known aromatic herb which displays beautiful blue flowers from July onwards. It thrives in sunshine and tolerates drought. The flavour of the leaves is strong, and rather like a cross between mint and sage. The deep flowers suit longer-tongued bees, including garden bumblebees and wool carder bees.

Flowering season:Summer and early autumnVarietyHyssopus officinalis

Lemon balm


© MaxPixel

If you love lemons, you’ll love lemon balm – the smell of the leaves crushed between your fingers is delicious. This plant is incredibly easy to grow, and like mint, benefits from being in its own pot because it will spring up everywhere. The plant was actually named in honour of  honey bees: Melissa means bee in Greek, which in turn comes from Meli (honey). Honeybees and bumblebees, particularly common carder bees, flock to the tiny creamy-white flowers.

Flowering season:Summer
VarietyMelissa officinalis

Thyme

© Pixabay

Grow a herb ‘carpet’ – plant thyme amongst cracks in paving or along the sides of a path and enjoy the aroma when you walk on it. It also works just as well growing in a pot. Fantastic for honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees and leafcutter bees. There are many different varieties of thyme to choose from – some taste better than others.

Flowering season: Summer
VarietiesThymus vulgaris (common thyme). Thymus polytrichus subs. britannicus attracts lots of bumblebees.

Each issue of Permaculture magazine offers tried-and-tested solutions, projects and pioneering ideas from the very best of the permaculture community. Every subscription comes with FREE access to all 30+ years of back issues.