Purple stalks of flowers, edible leaves!
Self-heal is a very common northwest member of the mint family. It occurs in moist meadows, forest openings, and other sunny locations. The leaves are edible, and have been used as medicinal herbs. While Self-heal is attractive to pollinators,it does not tend to get mobbed the way some other plants do. It seems to be particularly attractive to syrphid flies, bumble bees (Bombus spp.) and woolcarder bees (Anthidium spp.).
Self-heal is an attractive plant in the garden, with unique spikes of bright purple flowers. These flowers dry out in autumn, and remain present through winter for year-round interest.
Self-heal deals well with mowing and foot traffic, and can sometimes be found in lawns. This makes it a good choice for areas that will see some light traffic.