St. John’s Wort is a naturalized medicinal plant of the United States, here since the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Not surprisingly, it’s plight-facing fellow traveler the honey bee is highly attracted to St. John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort can help draw honey bees into your world, and away from the chemically treated environments that appear to be a central cause of colony collapse in the species.

St. John’s Wort is also beloved by bumble bees, and pollen-lovers such as Hoverflies and Syrphid Flies will be encouraged, as well.

Butterflies are drawn to the flowers, but this plant is especially important to the Gray Hairstreak Butterfly – whose range spans a massive area including most of the United States, parts of Southern Canada, and throughout Mexico. The Hairstreak Butterflies caterpillar thrives by eating seeds from the St. John’s Wort (of which there is quite an abundance), and the adults in turn pollinate.

Hypericum perforatum serves another very beneficial purpose in support of a pollinators – one particular type of pollinator, in this case. This spreading, low-growing herbaceous shrub thrives in areas that are at high risk of erosion- in large part due to the deep tap root in develops – and helps retain soil. This feature is valuable to miner bees, that tend to build nests in largely drier, largely root free ground and whose nests can last for years if damage from erosion is averted.

St. John’s Wort, of course, famously carries direct medical values to human beings, much of which has also been thoroughly studied. There is ample literature available covering the ways in which St. John’s Wort can be effective against burns and wounds, and as well as when it can be helpful in aiding those struggling from sleep disorders and anxiety. This reading is recommended for those who are interested.

Care: St. John’s Wort is a low care plant. It loves a wide variety of soils – as long as the soil is well drained. Disturbed sites, or sites already suffering from erosion benefit from the presence of St. John’s Wort, but it also makes a great border or edge plant. Here on the farm, our St. John’s Wort plants are thriving on both a rich soil border and on the edge of a rather average, clay soil.

One established, the tap root will preserve the plant quite well through drier seasons, and it generally coasts through drought. Perhaps the only real task – if desired – is to dead head old flowers periodically to ensure optimum flowering over the whole span of the summer (but please leave a few heads on for the Gray Hairstreak caterpillars!).

Bonus: We’ve found that St. John’s Wort makes a great plant on the north, east, or west side of low mounds, for those who do mound-style gardens. Two or three plants can spread quickly enough to protect a given side of a mound within the year.