If we
are looking through the British flora in search of good garden
worthy plants that will also attract wildlife, the Labiate
family, also known as the dead nettle or mint family, is
important to consider. This is a huge family comprising a
variety of well know groups including the germanders,
woundworts and horehounds as well as the mints and the
beautiful yellow archangel – some really interesting and
evocative names! Other members of the Labiate family include
the familiar herbs such as thyme, marjoram and the mints can
be read about
here.
This
group of plants is very important in terms of the provision of
food for certain insects. Recent research investigating the
decline of many bumblebee species in the wild stressed that
the lack of specific wildflowers in meadows and along field
edges and hedge banks, had certainly contributed to this
decline. Lack of food has been an important factor and the
Labiate family, along with the clovers (the Pea family), were
highlighted as plants whose decline had played a crucial part,
as they provide both nectar and pollen.
In our
gardens however, we can make a very positive contribution to
the welfare of bumblebees, solitary bees and honey bees by
growing some of these flowers and there is no better place to
start than the dead nettles. If you are unsure of the
sometimes rather wandering nature of these particular
wildflowers, you can substitute their variegated cousins,
which still have the pollen and nectar required. Both the
wild white and red dead nettles pop up as weeds in gardens and
on allotments and most of us probably do our best to irradiate
them. But if observed closely the flowers are very attractive
and the leaves pleasantly aromatic. White dead nettle (Lamium
album) is a perennial plant and once established can take
over, so needs to be grown with caution, perhaps in grass in a
wild patch beneath trees where it can be mown from time to
time. Red dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) is an annual often
occurring in vegetable plots and it flowers early in the
spring. Both of these common wildflowers are in bloom as soon
as the weather warms up, providing that all important food for
insects coming out of hibernation. Red dead nettle is easily
removed so if you can bear to leave it while its flowers feed
your local bees, you will be doing them a favour. If the dead
nettles do take your fancy but you really can’t handle their
enthusiasm, try any of the Lamiums in the garden centre –
White Nancy is a particularly beautiful variety with
grey-green leaves and pale pink flowers, although it is grown
mainly for its foliage. Lamium maculatum is also very
attractive and there are many varieties with flowers of white
or dark pink, all of them good bumblebee plants.
One of
my favourite wildflowers in this group is the bugle - Ajuga
reptans. Unlike the dead nettles it will not grow absolutely
anywhere, preferring a soil that retains some moisture, but it
is still easy to grow when it is happy in its spot. It
provides perfect ground cover for clay (usually surviving
serious drying out in the summer), looks wonderful on the edge
of a pond or in a bog garden and is also fine for shady ground
cover as long as the soil is not too dry. Its spikes of dark
purple flowers attract bees and the occasional spring
butterfly and the glossy, shiny leaves always look good. It
contrasts well with cowslips in damp grass, flowering at
roughly the same time. Garden centres and plant nurseries
often have varieties of this wildflower with variegated or
purple leaves, but I certainly prefer the plant in its natural
form. It is not the easiest of wildflowers to germinate from
seed, but cuttings root easily if they are kept moist and
shaded.
The
majority of the Labiate family have aromatic foliage and the
woundworts have a very distinctive scent. Many people dislike
the pungent smell of hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) while
others love it. I am one of the latter and plant it beneath
the hedges that surround my garden. There are several plants
in this group that will meander happily in shade without
spreading too rapidly and the hedge woundwort does that
perfectly, growing to about 60cms in height. Its attractive
spikes of flowers are dark reddish purple with pale markings,
almost like orchid flowers. Marsh woundwort (Stachys
palustris) is equally pretty and ideal for a pond edge. The
woundworts tend to flower over a long period from early summer
late into September or October and can be propagated from seed
or runners. Betony (Stachys officinalis) is similar in shape
and flower colour, but is happier in sun and will grow well in
a wildflower meadow. It is also well behaved enough to earn a
place in a border. It too flowers over a very long period and
will germinate easily, although sporadically, from seed.
Brimstone butterflies will sometimes take nectar from this
species.
Similar in form is the yellow archangel (Lamiastrum
galeobdolon), another spreading plant that can be used for
ground cover in shade. This is often grown in the variegated
form, which in my experience is much more invasive and
difficult to control that the wild plant. However the true
wild form is hard to obtain and not terribly easy to grow from
seed either! If you like this plant, look out for it in
friends’ gardens and beg a small piece as it is easy to grow
from runners. Its gorgeous spikes of golden flowers are ideal
for providing a splash of colour under trees, hedgerows or
tall shrubs. Again, bumblebees in particular will visit it
for nectar and pollen.
Labiate flowers come in all colours as we have already seen.
One of the most striking in terms of flower colour is the
meadow clary (Salvia pratensis), now a rare wildflower. This
is one of those plants that has been adopted as a cottage
garden flower and many garden centres will stock it or its
varieties (sometimes under the name of Salvia haematodes).
The strikingly large flowers are a deep violet-blue and the
plant reaches 60cms or so. Pink and white flowered forms are
also available and it is worth giving it pride of place in a
wildflower or cottage border.
There
are many other plants in this group worthy of a place in the
garden. The germanders, balms, hemp nettles and catmints are
all worth a look. Seeds of these are not easy to track down,
but if you can find them give them a go and your local
bumblebees are sure to be grateful. Some also attract the
occasional butterfly, but in general these flowers, due to the
shape of their blooms, are bee plants.
Encouraging wildlife, especially bees, butterflies and other
flying insects to more shady areas in the garden can be
problematic as most good nectar producers are sun-lovers. Many
of the Labiates mentioned are happy in shady spots, providing
colour and wildlife pulling power in areas where we generally
have fewer choices when looking for insect attractants. Those
that prefer sun, such as the meadow clary, are wonderful
border plants. In all there is something for everyone in this
group, with more choices to explore.
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