Herbie Advice please.

[Peter]

I have a herb patch, well it's more a bee attracting patch.
It is at the top of a north facing slope, shaded by a hedge and well soaked in winter by runoff and seepage, dried to deep cracks in summer as it is clay.

Beyond the two examples I show below can anyone suggest some more bumble-bee and butterfly freindly perrennial herbs I can plant?

Winter Savoury.

General View

Flower of Elecampane

Elecampane before flowering

[Snadger]

I think Rosemary has got to be a key contender!

[supersprout]

Thyme, sage, borage, and liminanthes (poached egg plant) should do well. Love the elecampane flower, that's very special isn't it?

[Birdie Wife]

Definitely thyme, and I'd add marjoram as well - I have a compact variety that's smothered in flowers and bees every summer. And lavender.

[madderbat]

Ditto everyone else, and does Buddleia need a lot of water? seem to remember it growing quite well in our clay in previous house.

[Alison]

Don't know how much water buddleia need but they sure as hell do grow big so don't plant unless you've got the space - are good for butterflies though!

[Alice]

Love your winter savoury Peter. Don't know about herbs but autumn flowering sedums will grow around your stonework and bees and butterflies just love it.

[Birdie Wife]

Just had another thought, catmint is excellent too, and continues flowering for a long time! Is it sedum spectabile you mean Alice? Brilliant butterfly plant.

[Alice]

Yes Birdie wife, it's Sedum Spectabile. Well earns it's place in the garden. Great for bees and butterflies, produces great autumn colour and good for dried flowers too.
I'll need to build up my stocks. I had several good areas of it but it was one of the favourites of the Roe Deer before I managed to fence those pests out. They ate it right down to the roots so that it didn't come back. Fortunately it spreads itself quickly so I'll be able to get it re-established where it was before. It's wonderful to be free of the deer.Now I can just enjoy them over the fence.

[roitelet]

Hi Peter,

You could try Bergamot, it grows like an herbaceous perennial and has lovely pinky red flowers. You could even try distilling the oil for your very own Earl Grey That would impress the other lottie holders

[Snadger]

Hi Peter,

You could try Bergamot, it grows like an herbaceous perennial and has lovely pinky red flowers. You could even try distilling the oil for your very own Earl Grey That would impress the other lottie holders

Or just chuck a few leaves in with a tea bag which has the desired effect!

[wellie]

Hi Peter!
Thyme of any flavour. Lemon Thyme is probably the one I use the most of in cooking as it seems to go with absolutely anything, and the bees love it too.
Borage is one I'd choose too, although not strictly perennial, it does self-seed readily, and it's ever so pretty too, she said flicking her blonde locks aside Miss Piggy fashion.....(!)

[rustylady]

Rosemary, lavender, thyme definitely - all perennials, and most herbs like well drained sites.

[Nicos]

How about some fennel at the back??
You can use it to make fennel wine too!!

[Peter]

How about some fennel at the back??
You can use it to make fennel wine too!!

I think I'll pass on Fennel Nicos, had one once, am still tring to get rid of the volunteers.

Most of the suggestions so far are for a sunny well drained plot.

This plot is neither, the general view is looking south-east and water has been trickling across from the upside down Y shaped post towards where I stood to take the picture.

Oh and its a windy frost pocket.

Buddlia, Thyme, Bergamot, Rosemary, Marjoram, Borage and Catmint, I'll try.

Thyme died.

The bricks were there to hold the woven membrane down.
Due to normal processes soil and leafmould have built up on the membrane enough to support rosebay willowherb seedlimgs, so its going to be bark-chip mulched, prostrate or ground hugging plants are out.

Any more suggestions, all gratefully recieved especially for unusual medicinal type plants and thanks for those so far.