Attract Pollinators or Repel Pests

Certain fragrant herbs can be used as a way to attract birds, bees and butterflies to the garden, which can enhance pollination for all the plants around. For example, borage planted with strawberries is known to attract bees to increase pollination and improve the crop yield. Beneficial insects may also be drawn by many of the more common flowering herbs, again, as pollinators or sometimes to act as predators to harmful insects.

Other fragrant herbs can act as repellents against different kinds of insects that may be predators of plants in the garden. For example, flying insects that find their plant victims by scent may be confused by planting aromatic herbs close by, whilst others may simply be repelled by their aroma.

The following table shows a summary of the many different herbs that may be used to attract pollinators or repel garden pests.