HERBS

The full list below forms a complete, all-edible “culinary herb & edible garden” collection—everything you need for Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, and everyday kitchen cooking, plus a few delightful extras like borage flowers, nasturtiums, and ground cherries—without a single ornamental-only or inedible plant in the mix.

Pollinators — bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects — are the unsung heroes of any garden. They transfer pollen from flower to flower, enabling most herbs, fruits, and vegetables to set abundant, healthy crops: without them, yields of tomatoes, tomatillos, ground cherries, squash, beans, and even many herbs drop dramatically. They also keep the ecosystem in balance by supporting predatory insects that naturally control pests, reducing or eliminating the need for any sprays. A garden buzzing with pollinators is not only more productive and resilient, it’s alive with beauty and movement — proof that you’re growing food in harmony with nature.

Top-Tier Pollinator Magnets

BORAGE – Often called the #1 bee plant; flowers refill nectar every few minutes, bees visit all day.
NASTURTIUM – Butterflies, bees, and hoverflies love the open flowers; also acts as a trap crop for aphids.
DILL (all varieties) – Umbel flowers are perfect landing platforms for tiny wasps, hoverflies, ladybugs, and bees.
FENNEL – Same umbel structure as dill; a favorite of swallowtail butterflies (host plant for black swallowtail caterpillars) and countless beneficials.
CILANTRO – When allowed to bolt, the flowers are swarmed by tiny beneficial wasps and hoverflies.
BASIL (all varieties, especially Genovese & Holy) – Bees adore basil flowers; let some bolt late season for a pollinator party.
OREGANO (especially Greek) – Once it blooms, it’s one of the best bee plants in the Mediterranean herb group.
THYME – Crawling with bees when in bloom; a pollinator favorite.
LEMON BALM – Flowers are bee magnets (Melissa means “bee” in Greek for good reason).
LAVENDER – Classic bee and butterfly favorite.