Our favorite companion flowers
Planning a vegetable garden involves many things. What will grow best where? How much sun will you need? What do you like to eat?
Many a list is written each growing season. From tried-and-true favorites to new varieties or ideas there is so much to experience.
Whether you are a total beginner or a seasoned gardener there are many different methods to gardening.
Companion plants, specifically flowers, have many benefits. From attracting pollinators and predator insects to doubling as cut flowers to grace your dining table, companion flowers have so much to offer.
Here are a few of our favorites to add to your list this season.
Sweet Pea
Growing sweet peas with tall, edible peas and pole beans is a great way to squeeze them into the garden and get the benefit of attracting more pollinators to your beans. Don’t worry, they won’t cross-pollinate with the edible peas, as they belong to different genera.
Cosmos
These easy to grow and profusely blooming flowers are a must for your garden. Choose white or bright orange varieties to attract beneficial insects like the Green Lacewing. Green lacewings are voracious eaters, snapping up all sorts of soft-bodied insects, like aphids, scale, and thrips
Sunflowers
Hello pollinators! What is not to love about a sunflower. These bright, cheerful, strong flowers bring a host of benefits to your garden. Bees love them and the seeds can be used to feed the birds come harvest time. Their sturdy stalks make the perfect trellis for climbing plants.
Marigold
Marigolds are a highly underrated flower. They do double duty, deterring pests both above and below the ground, and they look great doing it. Are rabbits a problem? Ring your garden with marigold plants, and they’ll think twice before crossing the line.
Zinnia
A very popular cut flower choice for gardens! This flower is a magnet for pollinators and are especially popular with hummingbirds.
Nasturtium
Happy and cheerful nasturtiums like cooler temperatures and continue blooming well into the fall. These flowers offer some protection from squash bugs and beetles. They also are favored by aphids and make a great trap crop. But they are one of the more delicious edible flowers (and leaves), so do not sacrifice them all to the insects.