If you haven’t got one already, get an Oregano (Origanum vulgare) plant. Like lavender, it’s a pollinator magnet; mine is brimming with many different bumblebee species, honeybees and hoverflies right now. And also pretty drought tolerant in the ground! It’s not just for the herb garden.
Tbf you can’t go wrong with most plants in the Mint family Lamiaceae, but my new Oregano, grown from a little cutting by a roadside, has really blown me away this year with its hugely copious, beautiful flowers! 😳
It gets bonus points for being a native plant, and a host plant for the Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata), aka small purple and gold, which is a tiny yet strikingly coloured and adorable day-flying moth that during the summer is often found resting on the leaves or enjoying the flowers’ nectar.
I made a little micro-habitat for them by moving my potted Oregano next to my Spearmint; both are favoured host plants and within days I had little moths fluttering around them both! 🙂
by Taran966
4 Comments
The bees on my choisya white dazzler are truly loving life, so good to see.
I’ve started my list for next year’s plants. I’ll definitely put this one on.
I had the ‘Flight of the bumblebee’ in my head watching the clip!
That’s gorgeous! We have one like this in our garden and it’s covered in big bees. So lovely to see. We get the hummingbird moths too (we’re in UK).
How did you propogate your oregano? I’ve got one near me and I’d love to have it in my garden too 🙂