Horehound

Black Horehound (Ballota nigra)

The Black Horehound (Ballota nigra) in the garden is currently in full flower, drawing loads of insect pollinators to its many blossoms. As you may be able to tell from the flowers, this is a member of the Lamiaceae – or mint – family. This bushy perennial is a favourite of bees, particularly bumblebees. Its pinky-purple flowers are arranged in eye-catching whorls around the plant's stems, and the hairy, green, tooth-edged leaves can be either oval or heart-shaped. The rough, square-sided stems can reach 4 feet in height. Once flowering is done, the leaves often go black: hence the "black" in the plant's common name. It's quite a pungent plant, particularly if the leaves or stems are crushed; many people (including us!) find its strong scent unpleasant. Common across England and parts of Wales, it's scarcer north and west. Elsewhere it's native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, and has been introduced to the eastern US, Argentina and New Zealand. The plant has long been used medicinally, to treat things including nausea, spasms, coughs and intestinal parasites. Given that it blooms from June until September, we – and the bees – have many more weeks to enjoys its myriad little blossoms.