Honey Bees and Other Pollinators Delight in African Blue Basil
If you only had room for just one flowering plant in your garden that you grow for the pollinators, what would it be? Borage? Verbascum? Cosmos? Sunflowers?
Here’s my choice: African Blue Basil. Holy Moly. Last spring I put one in our garden on a whim and it was humming with all manner of pollinators from dawn to dusk. The spiky flowers are so pretty, too, very similar looking to salvia but with a much longer flowering period.
African Blue Basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum–how’s that for a mouthful) is sterile, so it produces flowers nonstop and must be propagated by cuttings. It’s loaded with nectar. According to this handy list by the Beekeepers Guild of Santa Barbara, it might even be better than the famed Borage for a nectar source simply because it flowers for a longer period of time. I can’t imagine my garden without Borage, though, and thankfully I do have room for more than one kind of plant. 😉
Here’s a short video of African Blue Basil in our garden one summer evening. This is one plant, purchased in a 4″ pot and which grew to about 3′ tall and wide. It bloomed steadily from late spring right up until the first hard frost.
African Blue Basil might be a good companion plant to a larger rose, for example at the base of a bare-legged climber, as long as you aren’t spraying your roses with pesticides. I might try that this year with some of mine but at the very least will be growing a few more in containers.
These can often be found at your local nursery once the temps get warm enough to plant tomatoes, but I found an online source HERE if you’re having trouble tracking them down.
What’s your favorite flowering plant for pollinators?
Cerinthe major, forget-me-nots, Centaurea mintana, foxgloves, poppies, Knautia macedonica, scabious, Centranthus ruber and Verbena bonariensis are always abuzz. And as you say, Salvia. I’ve never heard of African blue basil but it’s beautiful! I’ve heard that Salvia jamensis protects roses from black spot – have you ever heard this, Laurie?
Really great suggestions, Alison! Verbena b. is also one of our most visited flowers, too.
Yup, I have heard about salvias/blackspot (and for those reading this wondering what we’re talking about, check out this article by Sarah Raven) I use salvias all over the garden but I specifically underplanted Benjamin Britten, who gets spotty every summer, hoping it would help. It did not. However, this has only been a 2 year experiment so far so maybe things will improve. Probably the best treatment for blackspot is a good rose and good cultivation but wouldn’t that be great if salvias help? 😉
Can’t wait to try this plant out. I know exactly where I am going to put it!! Thanks for sharing it!
I know you enjoy nature watching as much as I do…so I think you’re going to love this plant. Let me know if you have difficulty tracking one down!
I will! I can’t wait to see your garden!!!!!!
The bees covered my lemon blossoms like that.
I like to have things always blooming for them as the year goes on.
I have seen the bees like that on my Genovese basil flowers, too.
That sounds so wonderful!