Attracting Beneficial Insects

Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects: A really useful,article here to assist in choosing plants that attract beneficial insects. We currently have the following:-

• Taraxacum officinale — Dandelion - attracts lacewings, ladybugs
• Coriandrum sativum — Coriander - attracts lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies
• Foeniculum vulgare – Fennel - attracts lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, trichogramma wasps, pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs
•  Achillea millefolium — Common yarrow - attracts ladybugs, hoverflies, trichogramma wasps,
•  Chrysanthemum parthenium — Feverfew - attracts hoverflies,
• Lavandula angustifolia — English lavender - attracts hoverflies,
• Lobularia maritima — Sweet alyssum white - attracts hoverflies, trichogramma wasps
• Mentha pulegium — Pennyroyal - attracts -hoverflies, trichogramma wasps, tachnid flies

The importance of having bird baths is also mentioned, we have four in the front garden and none in the back garden so should probably get some for the back too. We do not spray any pesticides and have noticed many of these bugs, increasingly over the years, this is a reminder of where we are at now and what we can do to keep improving.

Improving Compost

We have been growing Yarrow and Comfrey to improve the soil and also to use as compost accelerators, so this morning I have chopped off a few leaves and added them to our two compost bins, it will be interesting to see if it really does make a difference. There is plenty of information ant Green harvest and a great permacultue garden which uses it too here.

I have several Herb books and in the Complete Book of Herbs it lists other uses for Comfrey including in salads, as a Spinach substitute, the stem can be an Asparagus substitute, and leaves can be used as a fertilizer for tomatoes and potatoes after being soaked for four weeks. Clearly we are not using this crop to its full potential!

Yarrow and Dwarf Nectarine

Yarrow

 We planted Yarrow in the no dig garden out the back as plants seemed to be struggling to survive in one section, and we had read that Yarrow improves and assist other plants. That certainly seems to be the case, although it has not flowered yet, it is flourishing, and we have even managed to propagate new plants. A recent bout of flu led us to the discovery that Yarrow can be used in a medicinal tea.

Dwarf Nectarine