Herbs - Seeds

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I will never have a food garden without Borage. This stunning herb has unique blue-purple star-shaped flowers that pollinators - especially bumble bees - absolutely crawl over all season long. Every part of this plant is edible! It has a mild, cucumber-like taste that's delicious in salads and beverage garnishes. I dry the flower heads for bath salts, soap making + crafts, and when frozen in ice cubes Borage makes a whimsical addition to drinks.  

Type:  Annual herb

Height: 2-3'

Light: full sun

Soil: regular garden soil

Water: Keep well watered

Bloom time: Summer

Planting: Direct sow into the garden, pressing seed into the soil and covering to a depth of 1/2"

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Bronze Fennel is an outstandingly beautiful plant which adds colour and airy texture to the garden and is particularly lovely in the back of a perennial border.  And it is edible too!

Type:  Perennial herb. Grown for it's licorice tasting leaves and seeds.  This is not bulb forming fennel. 

Height: 3-4'

Light: Full sun

Soil: Loose, sandy soil

Water: drought tolerant once established

Bloom time: July

Planting: Sow seeds directly into warm soil, pressing in well and cover lightly with soil.  Soaking seeds for a day before may help with germination. 

Care: Cut back fennel in the spring to encourage bushier growth.  Harvest seeds to limit aggressive self sowing. 

Wild life support: Host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly larvae

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An outstanding native plant!  The yellow colour of the blooms is exquisite and you will enjoy watching native bees literally swimming in the abundant pollen!  The dark seed heads are also attractive for the rest of the season, although they should be removed if you want to limit it's spread as it will self seed quite readily. 

Type: Perennial, native to Ontario

Height: 3-4'

Light: Full sun to light shade

Soil: loamy to sandy, adaptable

Water: likes it on the moist side but will tolerate drier areas once established.  It will grow shorter where it is dryer.

Bloom time:  June-July

Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. This website offers an excellent overview of this plant and how to grow it from seeds: Giant St. John’s Wort – Facts, Identification, Grow and Care – GrowIt BuildIT

Wild life support: This plant provides abundant pollen as a reward.  It is mostly pollinated by bumblebees but is also loved by sweat bees and other small bees. 

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Mountain Mint is a beautiful, shrub like native plant with minty foliage and dainty white flowers that bloom for 3 months of the summer! It is brings in an abundance of pollinators

Type: Perennial, native to Ontario

Height: 2-3'

Light: full sun to light shade

Soil: sand, loam or clay

Water: Medium to wet.  Short lived in drier areas

Bloom time: July to September

Planting: Seeds can be planted directly into the soil in the spring.  Do not cover as these tiny seeds need light to germinate. You could also start these in trays. 

Wild life support: Many native bees and wasps flock to this plant so it is actively buzzing the whole time it is in bloom! Many butterflies love the nectar of this plant as well. 

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)

A stunning plant that is visually distinctive in the garden.  Later the pea like seed pods are very attractive. It is in the legume family so it will fix nitrogen in the soil. 

Type: Perennial, native to Ontario

Height: 4-5'

Light: full sun

Soil: rich loam to sandy loam

Water: likes a moister soil but apparently can withstand drier conditions.

Bloom time: late summer, August

Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. Seeds need to be scarified (rubbed between sandpaper to break the coat a bit_ then they need a period of cold, moist stratification.  

Wild life support: Offers pollen later in the season for bees looking to supply their larvae with food.  Loved by many different types of bees but mainly visited by bumble bees in my garden.