Yes, herbs benefit pollinators in a big way when you let them bloom in your garden. Rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, and borage rank as the top five herbs for feeding bees. Their small packed flowers produce nectar that bees love. Most gardeners harvest these plants before they ever get the chance to flower. Just letting a few of them bloom can turn your herb bed into a pollinator magnet.
I found this out by accident in my own kitchen garden two summers ago. I got busy with work and forgot to pinch back my basil and oregano plants for two weeks. Both bolted and sent up clusters of tiny white and purple flowers. To my surprise those two plants drew more bee species than my whole ornamental flower bed on the other side of the yard. That happy accident taught me how to run a bee-friendly herbs garden that feeds both my family and my local bees at the same time.
The USDA calls herbs like rosemary and basil some of the best pollinator plants you can grow. Their tiny clustered flowers pack a lot of nectar into a small space. Bees visit dozens of florets on one herb spike without flying away. This is why herbs benefit pollinators so well. Your bee-friendly herbs garden becomes one of the best food sources per square foot you have.
What makes herbs special is their dual purpose in your yard. Thyme gives you a great cooking ingredient and a ground-level bee feast at the same time. Chives add flavor to your meals and produce purple pom-pom flowers that bees swarm in spring. You don't have to choose between feeding your family and feeding your bees. Just let a few plants flower instead of cutting everything back and you get both benefits from the same bed.
Rosemary
- Bloom time: Flowers in late winter to early spring when your bees need food the most and very few other plants offer nectar.
- Bee draw: Produces small blue flowers that bumble bees and mason bees visit over and over throughout the bloom season.
- Growing tip: Plant in full sun with well-drained soil and let at least one branch grow wild to flower for your pollinators.
Basil
- Bloom time: Sends up white flower spikes in midsummer that bees can't resist once you stop pinching the growing tips back.
- Bee draw: Small florets produce sweet nectar that draws honey bees, bumble bees, and many types of tiny native bees.
- Growing tip: Grow 3 to 4 plants and let half of them bolt while you keep harvesting leaves from the other half.
Borage
- Bloom time: Produces bright blue star-shaped flowers from summer through fall and reseeds itself each year for free.
- Bee draw: One of the highest nectar producers of any herb and a top pick among professional beekeepers for feeding bees.
- Growing tip: Plant it once in a sunny spot and it will come back on its own every year without any work from you.
The fact that culinary herbs attract bees should change how you think about your kitchen garden layout. Set aside one corner as a pollinator patch where 2 to 3 herb plants get to flower without being cut. Let your oregano, basil, or thyme bloom in that patch while you harvest the rest. This way your culinary herbs attract bees and still give you plenty of fresh leaves for cooking every week.
Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow and they cost almost nothing from seed. You can grow them in pots, raised beds, or right in the ground. Bees don't care where your herbs grow as long as they get to bloom. Grab a packet of basil and borage seeds this weekend. You will have both fresh cooking herbs and happy bees before summer ends.
Read the full article: 10 Best Flowers for Bees: A Gardener's Essential Plan
