April Product Spotlight: Flowers and Herbs to Attract Beneficial Insects

Herbs and Flowers to Attract Bees and Other Beneficial Insects

Many insects are important allies in the field and garden. Bees and other pollinating insects increase yields in many fruiting crops. Beneficial insects keep pest species under control. Although pollinators and beneficials are present naturally, it doesn’t hurt to attract them to the places where their services are most helpful. Flowers that provide nectar and pollen can be grown on field edges, in strips, and scattered among vegetable crops. Here are some of the best varieties to use in insectary plantings:

Anise Hyssop is a great bee attractor. Additionally, its very aromatic leaves and flowers can be used fresh or dried in salads and teas. It has a sweet licorice-mint flavor

Panorama Mix

Panorama Red Shades

Panorama Mix and Panorama Red Shades are perennial Bee Balms that attract butterflies and hummingbirds as well as bees.
Panorama mix contains a variety of eye-catching colors, and the semi-double blooms are edible as well as having medicinal properties.
Panorama Red Shades is a showy garden performer and excellent flower producer with low susceptibility to powdery mildew.
Our new Miss Butterfly (Butterfly Bush) is an attractive ornamental shrub in the landscape. It is a tender perennial (in Zones 6-10), and produces long spikes of tiny violet flowers with orange eyes that are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Easy to grow from seed, it is heat and drought tolerant.
Johnny’s Beneficial Insect Attractant Mix contains a combination of perennial and annual varieties to attract a diverse group of beneficial insects. Mix includes: Yarrow, Ammi, Golden Tuft, Dill, Cilantro, Cosmos, Buckwheat, Lemon Balm, Hairy Vetch, Sweet Alyssum, Mizuna, Lacy Phacelia, Basil, and several Clovers.

Enter Johnny's Small Space and Urban Gardening Contest

Win a $25 gift coupon from Johnny's by telling us how you overcome the challenges of gardening in small spaces and/or in the inner city. Questions to consider:

• How do you make the most of tight spaces in congested areas?
• How have you transformed an urban eyesore into a green gem?
• How do you keep urban garden pests at bay in your neighborhood?

We'd like to hear from you!

Please send us your story via email or U.S. Postal Service. You'll be eligible for prizes, like a Johnny's baseball cap, gardening books, or a drip irrigation kit! We'll also publish your ideas on the Johnnyseeds.com website and in our Growing Ideas blog. Photos are welcome. You may submit photos via email (2MB size limit) or share them with us on our Flickr photo site. Please limit essays to 250 words of fewer.

Visit Johnnyseeds.com for more information about this contest.