Grow a multi-purpose pollinator garden
Grow plants that are edible, look great in a vase and provide habitat for pollinators.
Pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, play a crucial role in our ecosystem by helping to fertilize plants and ensure their reproduction.
Unfortunately, many pollinator populations are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other factors. One way that you can help support native pollinators is by creating a pollinator garden, which provides a habitat for these important creatures to thrive.
Adding culinary herbs to a pollinator garden not only benefits the pollinators but also provides fresh ingredients for the kitchen.
Plus, some of these fabulous culinary plants do triple whammy by looking great in the vase!
Why Grow a Pollinator Garden?
Pollinator gardens are not only beneficial for the pollinators themselves but also for the environment as a whole. By providing a habitat for pollinators, you help to maintain the biodiversity of our planet. Thank you gardening friend!
Additionally, pollinators are responsible for fertilizing a large percentage of our food crops, so by supporting their populations, we are also supporting our own food systems.
You can’t grow a garden without pollinators!
Many pollinator-friendly plants are also beautiful additions to your garden. And, as mentioned earlier, adding culinary herbs to a pollinator garden can provide both beauty and practical benefits.
Choosing the Right Plants for your Pollinator Garden
When selecting plants for a pollinator garden, it is important to choose varieties that are attractive to pollinators. This typically includes plants with brightly colored flowers that are easy for pollinators to access. Native plants are often a great option, as they have evolved alongside the local pollinator populations and are well-suited to their needs.
When choosing culinary herbs to include in a pollinator garden, there are several options to consider. Many herbs have flowers that are attractive to pollinators, while others have foliage that can provide shelter for them.
Some popular culinary herbs that pollinators love include the following:
Addition #1 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Basil
Basil is a popular culinary herb that also has flowers that are attractive to bees and other pollinators.
It is an annual plant that grows well in warm weather. When planting basil in a pollinator garden, be sure to space the plants at least 12 inches apart to allow room for growth.
Basil can be trickier to grow in northern climates. I grow mine exclusively in a hoop house. In warmer climates it does well outdoors. The variety I love for cooking is Genovese. If growing for the vase, shop for varieties with deep purple leaves - they are amazing.
Any variety will produce interesting flowers for you and for your pollinators.
Addition #2 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Thyme
Thyme is a low-growing perennial herb that has small, fragrant flowers that are attractive to bees and butterflies.
It’s a great option for a pollinator garden because it can grow in a variety of soils and is drought-tolerant.
Thyme can be started from seed early in the season. It’s a perennial in northern climates although I plant extra each year in case I lose some over the winter.
Addition #3 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Cilantro
Cilantro/coriander is a fabulous fresh annual herb.
Since cilantro will bolt in the summer, I grow mine for culinary uses in the early summer and then let it bolt (go to flower).
Cilantro flowers smell heavenly - pollinators love them and they are a great filler flower for the vase.
Let a few of the flower heads go to seed. This seed is coriander! You can save it for planting next year or harvest for some super cool bouquet elements.
Addition #4 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Sage
Sage is a culinary herb that also has attractive flowers that are popular with pollinators.
It’s a perennial plant that prefers well-draining soil and can be grown easily from seed. In my experience it survives 2-3 years and then dies back. Flowers usually develop in the second year. You can use the foliage and flowers to fill out your home arrangements.
Sage, flowering in it’s second year in my backyard garden.
Addition #5 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Oregano
Oregano is a perennial herb that is commonly used in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
It produces small, pink or purple flowers in the summer, which are a great source of nectar for bees and other pollinators.
Oregano is also known to repel some garden pests, making it a great companion plant. I love popping oregano into a bouquet - it’s purple flowers make a nicely scented filler.
Addition #6 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Mint
Mint is a hardy herb that is easy to grow and has a refreshing scent.
It produces small, white or purple flowers in the summer, which are a great source of nectar for pollinators.
Mint spreads enthusiastically, so it is best to plant it in a container or a designated area of the garden. You will have extra plants to dig up and give away or compost every year.
Addition #7 for your multi-purpose pollinator garden: Chives
Chives are another easy-to-grow herb that can be used in pollinator gardens.
They produce pretty pink or purple flowers in the summer, which are a great source of nectar for bees and other pollinators.
Chives are also known to repel some garden pests, making them a great companion plant. Every year they grow into bigger clumps that can then be divided and spread out or given away to your neighbors. The flowers are edible, look great in a vase and dry well hung upside down.
Chives are a fabulous herb, attract pollinators and look great in a vase.
Maintaining your Pollinator Garden
Once you’ve established your culinary-pollinator-cutting-garden, maintain it properly to ensure that it continues to provide a habitat for pollinators.
This includes watering the plants regularly, fertilizing as needed (with organic fertilizers and compost) and frequently cutting flowers for your bouquets so the plants keep producing more stems.
Remember to avoid the use of pesticides (natural and conventional) in a pollinator garden, as you will kill not only the bad bugs but the good bugs too. This is the reason I’ve never sprayed anything in my garden. Even some of the natural and organic sprays will kill the beneficial bugs.
Creating a pollinator garden with culinary herbs is a great way to support pollinator populations while also providing a source of food and flavor for yourself and super cool additions to your home grown bouquets.
By following the tips outlined here, you can create a beautiful and functional pollinator garden that will benefit both pollinators and humans alike.
Storage Notes:
I keep all the herbs I cut from my garden in a small jar of water on the counter.
Some dislike the fridge (basil) and will often get lost in the crisper.
No one likes to discover rotten home-grown herbs weeks later in the bottom of the crisper!
7 aromatic herbs that also look great in a vase!
I grow lots of herbs. Most are easy to grow and have many multi-purpose benefits for the home gardener and flower farmer.
In this blog, I want to introduce you to 7 herbs I grow every year that not only do culinary wonders but also look great in a vase.
In addition to being a fun addition to the vase, here are some additional benefits of growing herbs:
If you have a tiny garden, growing herbs maximizes your space since you’ll be growing a plant for both culinary and cut flower purposes. I’m all about the multi-purpose plant!
If you don’t have much space to grow, most herbs do great in planters on your porch. In fact, since I like to keep mine close at hand I often grow them in pots just so I can quickly pop out to the porch to pick them.
Once gone to flower, herbs attract and nourish beneficial insects which help keep away the insects you don’t want around.
Fresh herbs are often hard to find and can be expensive at the grocery store. Lucky for you, they are best from the garden anyway!
Picking herbs and keeping a small jar of herbs on your kitchen counter is the best way to keep them once harvested (don’t let them rot in the crisper). My husband and I joke that the crisper is where veggies go to die. This will give you super easy access to them the next time you cook and will bring a nice pop of greenery into your kitchen.
So here are 7 herbs you must add to your home garden.
Chive: Chives, while not easy to start from seed are easy to grow once established. They spread steadily, so every few years you’ll have to dig and replant or give away a clump. The flowers on chives are SO delicious and do great in a vase.
Cilantro: Calypso is a slow to bolt variety great for growing in any northern climate. Use this culinary herb in your favorite dishes. I love a good homemade salsa with lots of cilantro.
Once it has gone to flower, harvest for an aromatic bouquet. The seed heads are also a lovely and fun addition in a bouquet.
Dill: Bouquet variety is specifically for the cutting garden but is also edible so it’s a win-win! This is a super fast grower. You can use the flower or seed head once fully open. The seed heads are also great for drying.
Fennel: Bronze leaf is a beautiful variety. It produces gorgeous flowers and seed heads. Harvest flowers once they are beginning to bloom or use foliage to add texture and a unique color.
Mint: both Common and Mountain varieties are fantastic. Common mint is a rapid spreader so make sure to plant in pots or be prepared to cut it back every year.
Mountain mint is not a spreading variety but in my experience, is very slow to grow and doesn’t always come back year after year. If I plant 10 plants I may get 2-3 to come back again the following year.
Oregano: Greek variety is a best bet. My oregano comes back year after year but even so, I usually start a few plants every spring just in case.
I love letting these go to flower before I cut for the vase. They are long lasting in the vase and fill in an arrangement nicely. Oregano leaves dry well for later use.
Sage: Common sage is a perennial that will flower the second year. Use foliage in culinary dishes, dry for use all winter or use foliage or flowers as greenery in a bouquet.
In my garden, sage will come back for 2 to 3 years and then die out. Because of this, I start a few new plants each spring to keep my garden well stocked.
Left to right: Lavender thriving in a planter, Chive flowers - my mouth is watering just looking at these, Sage flowering big time in my home garden.
Plus a bonus herb I encourage you to try!
In addition to these fabulous and relatively easy-to-grow culinary herbs I also want to mention another favorite flower/herb: Lavender. I grow the Elegance variety.
Lavender is more challenging to grow in my northern climate. It is a slow grower and thrives in warmer temps.
This is one of the earliest plants I start by seed. I then make sure to plant it in a warm, sheltered environment which usually means in a pot on my super sunny front porch.
Harvest mature flowers for the vase or harvest each stem when flowers are budding if you want to hang for drying. Lavender keeps its aroma and color well after drying.
If you’re up for a challenge, try this amazing herb. The beauty, aroma, and happiness you will enjoy from this plant are priceless and well worth the difficulty!
Here’s a chowder recipe you must try!
I don’t usually send out recipes.
But I was at a neighbor’s birthday and this soup was the star of the party. It’s amazing and I was particularly struck by this fun twist on salmon chowder.
Read on to find out how to whip up this fast and easy dairy-free chowder!
This recipe is adapted from the book “The Herbalist’s Kitchen”. I know what you’re thinking and yes, I’m running out today to buy my very own copy!
Here’s what you need:
2 T coconut oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cups sweet corn, fresh or frozen
3 cloves Turnstone Farm garlic
1 jalepeno pepper, finely chopped
3-4 cups broth
1 lb salmon
1 (14 oz can of coconut milk)
Juice of 1/2-1 lime
1 cup chopped cilantro (for garnish)
Here’s how to make it:
1) Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot over medium heat, add onion and saute until tender. Add corn, garlic and jalepeno. Saute for 1-2 minutes then add broth. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
2) Add the fish. No need to cut it apart as it will flake apart when cooked. Stir while soup returns to a simmer. Cook until fish is done 5-15 minutes depending on how thick the fillet is.
3) When the fish is just cooked through add the coconut milk and a tablespoon of the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and additional lime juice if needed. If soup is too thick, add a bit more broth.
4) Garnish with cilantro!
Ok, here’s the super cool thing I learned from this book… cilantro helps bind heavy metals from food and pass them through your body!
So when you add the cilantro garnish to your chowder it will help you process any heavy metals from the fish. (Originally this recipe was for use with white fish which I think has the potential to harbor more heavy metals than salmon)