Herbs are a magnet for bees and pollinating insects. Grow them as a mix in a large trough or pot or in individual pots. Of course they also make excellent plants for the border. The lovely blue flowers of Borage are irresistible to bees and butterflies. Try putting a Borage flower in each section of an ice cube tray, cover with water and freeze, they look gorgeous in drinks!
Chives are a 'must have' – even the flowers are edible and look fantastic in salads - Coriander, Oregano and Basil of course. Thyme and Parsley are a necessity and I have recently found Summer Savory to be a fantastic addition to the herb garden. A relative of Thyme it is very aromatic with a slightly peppery flavour and goes perfectly with beans, in fact if you grow it next to your Broad Beans it is reputed to help repel black fly!
When harvesting any beans, pick some sprigs of Summer Savory and cook them together - it really adds to the flavour. Finely chop Savory leaves and add to melted butter or a buttery white sauce and pour over Broad Beans.
The tall feathery foliage of Bronze Fennel looks wonderful in the middle or back of a flower border and the lovely blue flowers of Rosemary and the evergreen leaves are superb planted anywhere in the garden.
If you choose to buy Perennial Herbs as young plants, pot them into 3½in (7cm) pots as soon as you can. Don’t worry if they look a bit small, they will grow away very quickly once potted. My herbs were very small when they arrived last year but once they were potted on they came on very quickly.
