Plants to encourage beneficial insects

Annuals

Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus)

Baby's Breath (Gypsophila elegans)

Bachelor's Buttons (Centaurea cyanus)

Barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Basils (Ocimum basilicum)

Bee Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)

Bird's Eyes (Gilia tricolor)

Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Blue Lace Flower (Trachymene coerulea, aka Didiscus coeruleas)

Borage (Borago officinalis)

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

California Poppy (Eschscholtzia californica)

Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)

Celery (Apium graveolens)

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)

Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla)

Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)

Corn (Zea mays)

Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum)

Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Goldfields (Lasthenia californica)

Gopher Stopper (Melilotus indica)

Johnny Jump-Up (Viola cornuta)

Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)

Meadow Foam (Limnanthes douglasii)

Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)

Pincushion Flower, aka Sweet Scabious (Scabiosa atropurpurea)

Rye (Secale cereale)

Signet Marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia)

Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum)

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)

Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana)

Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa)

Triticale (X Triticosecale)

White Sweetclover (Trifolium repens)

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Perennials

Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea)

Anise Hyssop (Anastache foeniculum)

Asters (Aster alpinus and A. tartaricus)

Basket of Gold (Aurinia saxatilis)

Blanketflowers (Gaillardia)

Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia syphilitica)

Blue Wild Rye (Elymus glaucus)

Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia)

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Califonia Lilac (Ceanothus Spp.)

California Brome (Bromus carinatus)

California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

Carpet Bugleweeds (Ajuga)

Catmints (Nepeta)

Cinquefoils (Potentilla)

Coffeeberry (Rhamnus california)

Comfrey (Symphytum)

Coneflowers (Echinacea)

Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus)

Coreopsis (Coreopsis)

Cowparsnip (Heracleum maximum)

Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis)

Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum pavifolium)

Crimson Thyme (Thymus serpyllum coccineus)

Crocus (Crocus)

Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens)

Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana)

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Fernleaf Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare var. crispum)

Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium)

Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria)

Goldenrod (Solidago)

Green Lace Flower, aka Toothpick Ammi (Ammi visnaga)

Horsemint (Monarda punctata)

Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)

Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

Korean Mint (Anastache rugosa)

Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica)

Lavender Globe Lily (Allium tanguticum)

Lavenders (Lavandula)

Lovage (Levisticum officinale)

Lupines (Lupinus)

Meadow Barley (Hordeum brachyantherum)

Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba)

Milkweeds (Asclepias)

Mints (Mentha)

Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica)

Mountain Mints (Pycnanthemum muticum and P. virginianum)

Mountain Sandwort (Arenaria montana)

New England Aster (Symphyotrichumnovae-angliae)

Pale Indian Plantain (Cacalia atriplicifolium)

Paleleaf Sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)

Patrinia (Patrinia)

Penstemon (Penstemon hirsutus)

Peonies (Paeonia)

Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa caucasica)

Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)

Purple-Needle Grass (Nassella pulchra)

Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)

Riddell's Goldenrod (Oligoneuron riddellii)

Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus)

Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Sea Lavender (Limonium latifolium)

Sea Pink (Armeria alliacea)

Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)

Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

Soapbark Tree (Quillaja saponaria)

St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonum giganteum)

Stonecrops (Sedum kamtschaticum, S. spurim, S. album)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Teasel (Dipsacus)

Thrift (Armeria maritima)

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

White Lace Flower, aka Bishop's Weed (Ammi majus)

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Willow (Salix Spp.)

Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis)

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)

Yolo Slender Wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus majus)

 

 

Beneficial insects

Beneficial insects

Insects play an import role in the health of our gardens and the wider ecosystem. By creating a conducive environment we can encourage the tiny helpers to hang around. Insects prey on others, pollinate plants, are food for birds and generally add to the richness, complexity and diversity of a healthy ecosystem.
  insects 

 Related

Phacelia

Phacelia

Details   Quick growing manure crop or as a sanctuary for predator insects to feed and plan their assaults from. Dig or plough in anytime. Sow from September through to April at a rate of 30g per 10m2 or 1kg per 300m2.
Common name   Phacelia
Botanical name   Phacelia tanacetifolia
Height (m)   1
Date   July 08, 2013
Tags     bees 
Shade / Sun   Full sun
Soil type   Most
Flowers   Purple
Jerusalem artichoke tubers

Jerusalem artichoke tubers

Common name   sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple
Botanical name   Helianthus tuberosus
Details   Easy to grow, highly productive plant that needs little care or watering. Produces tall leafy stems above ground and masses of knobbly, edible tubers.
Edible  
Seeds / nuts / tubers  
Price   $5.90  6 tubers
Related info Out of stock
Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Botanical name   Helianthus annuus
Details   This easy to grow plant will produce a single large yellow flower 1 to 2 meters above the ground.
  • Plant climbing beans amongst the sunflowers when they are a meter high, the beans will climb the stem
  • The seeds ripen in April and can be fed directly to chickens or left for birds
  • Can get blown over by strong wind
Edible  
Seeds / nuts / tubers  
Tags     annual  edible  flowers  tender  yellow 
Price   $3.90  20 seeds
Colour   Yellow
Watch Learn More Out of stock
Purple toadflax

Purple toadflax

Botanical name   Linaria purpurea
Family   Plantaginaceae
Details   Native to Italy. Naturalised in many locations, spreading readily on stony waste ground. Long-lasting flowers which are very attractive to bees.
Diameter   1.00
Height (m)   0.3 - 0.7m
Flowers   Purple
Perennial  
Alexanders

Alexanders

Common name   alisanders, horse parsley, smyrnium
Botanical name   Smyrnium olusatrum
Details   With a taste live celery or parsley, this easy care plant can be eaten raw or cooked. I have grown this plant with good results in areas infested with twitch / cooch grass. The plants self seed and grow again the following season, replacing the grass.
Edible  
Tags     annual  edible 
Price   $1.90  20 seeds
Hopi Black Dye Sunflower

Hopi Black Dye Sunflower

Botanical name   Lunaria annua
Details   Similar to the regular, common sunflower but often having multiple smaller flowers and dark purple / black seed casing that the Hopi people of North America have traditionally used to make a dye for cotton, wool and basketry
Edible  
Seeds / nuts / tubers  
Tags     edible  flowers  yellow 
Price   $4.90  20 seeds
Watch Learn More Out of stock

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