5 Fragrant Plants That Will Turn Your Garden Into a Wildlife Haven – And Lift Your Mood, Too

March 3 marks World Wildlife Day, and there's no better opportunity to turn your backyard into a safe refuge for birds, insects, and mammals. This year's international celebration is all about medicinal and aromatic plants, which just so happen to be some of the best for supporting biodiversity and wildlife in your garden.

While traditional wildlife garden features are important to have (like this gorgeous ceramic blue bird bath from Amazon), the key to supporting a wider range of wildlife is growing plants that offer them food and shelter. Aromatic herbs and fragrant flowers are some of the best for attracting them.

Plus, the bonus of growing aromatic plants to attract wildlife is that many of them have healing properties, so you can grow them to improve your own health, too. Here, with the help of experts, I explore five of the best to grow this spring.

5 Aromatic Plants to Attract Wildlife

Supporting the wildlife in your yard isn't just reserved for World Wildlife Day. You'll find that growing a wide range of plants for pollinators, birds, mammals, and beneficial insects creates a bustling haven year-round. Here are five beautifully aromatic and (some) medicinal plants to get you started.

Note: You should always seek professional medical advice before attempting to use any plants medicinally.

1. Bee Balm

• USDA: Zone 4-9
• Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds

As its name not-so-subtly gives away, bee balm is one of the best plants for pollinators. Not only does it boast vibrant colors in a range from red, pink, and purple to white and yellow, but bee balm is also loved for its cross of citrus and minty fragrance.

'Traditionally, it has been known for digestive, respiratory and stress relief,' notes Anna Hackman, a Rutgers Master Gardener and owner at The Naked Botanical.

'As for growing it, bee balm loves sun but shouldn't become crowded because it can suffer from powdery mildew, especially if you have overhead irrigation,' Anna adds.

Bee balm also attracts like likes of butterflies and even hummingbirds, so it's a valuable shrub to add to quieter areas of your yard to encourage these visitors to stop by.

You can find a bee balm shrub to plant in your garden at Nature Hills.

Anna Hackman

Anna Hackman has been an avid gardener for over 18 years and has penned the garden blog, Green Talk. She is a retired Rutgers Master Gardener and runs a farm called The Naked Botanical, which grows and makes herbal products, including herbal teas, simple syrups, elderberry tonics and more.

2. Elder

• USDA: Zone 3-9
• Attracts: Songbirds, pollinators, and deer

Some of the best fragrant trees are also on this list of aromatic plants to attract wildlife.

Elder is one of the best choices, with spring flowers that have a sweet perfume and striking dark berries in fall that feed birds in winter.

Elder has flat-topped clusters of flowers, which are great for insects to land on and feed from. They give off a sweet, heady scent which attracts a wide range of insects, including bees, butterflies, and hoverflies.

When it produces berries in fall, it turns into a vital source for a range of birds, including American robins, bluebirds, orioles, and cardinals.

You may also spot white-tailed deer browsing an elder, along with squirrels and mice.

From an aesthetic point of view, it's a striking addition to the garden, especially unusual varieties like black elder, with dark foliage and pink blooms.

'As one of the best edible hedge plants, elderberries are used as an antiviral, and the flowers are uses to support respiratory health and reduce sweating in fevers,' adds Alison Mitchell, a professional naturopath and medicinal plant expert.

You can purchase elder starter trees on Amazon.

Alison Mitchell

Alison has been a naturopath and medicinal plant expert for over 16 years. She shares advice on medicinal plants and their uses.

3. Moonflower

• USDA: Zone 10-12
• Attracts: Bats and nocturnal pollinators

Plants that bloom at night hold a lot of value because they support nocturnal wildlife. This includes bats – it might make you shudder at first, but having bats in your yard is actually a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

The reason moonflower is a top pick for attracting bats is because its glorious sweet perfume brings the likes of moths and other nocturnal pollinators which bats feed on.

It's a beautiful addition to moon gardens in particular, with large white reflective petals that add some brightness to the garden's night-time landscape.

You can enhance your moonflower's support for bats by growing it near to a garden pond, likely to also bring moths and mosquitoes for them to feed on.

Grow moonflower in your yard with these moonflower seeds from Amazon.

Warning: this aromatic plant for wildlife is not medicinal but rather falls on the list of toxic plants.

4. Hyssop

• USDA: Zone 4-9
• Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and goldfinches

Not only is hyssop a wildlife garden staple, it's also one of the hardest plants to kill and makes for a low-maintenance addition to your planting scheme.

'Hyssop is a small shrubby plant with pretty purple flowers that grows easily in a sunny place with well-draining soil,' describes Alison.

'It's traditionally used for respiratory issues such as sore throats and bronchitis, as well as topically to treat bruises,' she adds.

Aromatically, hyssop releases a unique liquorice, anise scent. It's one that brings a wide range of songbirds, especially goldfinches who enjoy eating seeds from the dried flower spikes.

If you're looking for deer-resistant plants, this is a good pick too, as these creatures dislike the strong smell, aromatic oils, and fuzzy nature of the blooms.

You can grow hyssop easily from seed, using these hyssop seeds from Amazon.

5. Yarrow

• USDA: Zone 3-9
• Attracts: Ladybugs, lacewings, and birds

Yarrow is one of the easiest, low-effort plants for wildlife, supporting pollinators, including ladybugs and lacewings, and birds, particularly goldfinches.

It has a sweet and slightly spicy scent that actually has medicinal qualities.

'Applied to wounds it can help to stop bleeding and provide healing properties,' says Alison.

Yarrow comes in a wide range of hues, too, and often reaches heights of three feet, making it a great filler for a range of garden color schemes in borders.

The fact it attracts ladybugs makes it a great choice for some natural pest control, as ladybugs prey on destructive insects like aphids.

Just remember to deadhead yarrow after flowering to encourage a second flush of blooms, though leaving fading flowerheads will provide seeds for finches and other birds to eat from.

Find yarrow seeds of all colors at True Leaf Market.

FAQs

Does Rosemary Attract Wildlife?

Yes, rosemary attracts lots of wildlife to gardens, especially when in bloom in spring. This herb's purple-blue blooms provide early nectar to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

There are so many ways to make your garden more wildlife-friendly this month. Try planting a pollinator strip or making a DIY wildlife shelter, for example. For something even more low-effort, try adding the below wildlife features to your yard.

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