Companion Planting with Herbs and Flowers: Tips + 5 Mistakes to Avoid
The topic of companion planting is a pretty broad one. It includes strategies like intercropping and intensive polyculture, and all the charts and info about good and bad plant neighbors can be a little overwhelming. If you’re new to companion planting, here’s a foolproof way to start: just incorporate some flowers and herbs in your vegetable beds!
Annual flowers and herbs create diversity in the garden without a lot of fuss, since most get along just fine with all your staple veggies. As long as you follow a few guidelines, you can include them without feeling like you’re studying for a degree in plant science.
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Why Herbs and Flowers Make Great Veggie Companions
Aside from the fact they’re really fun to grow, herbs and flowers have a lot of potential benefits for your garden. Here are some neat things they can do:
Pest Control
Supposedly, strong-scented companion plants like marigolds and alliums can mask the scent of your crops so hungry pests can’t find them. The million dollar question: does it work?
Most of the evidence for stinky plants deterring pest insects is anecdotal. Translated as, some folks claim it works for them. Maybe it’s something to do with the hot, pest-ridden summers we have here in the Southeast, but I’ve honestly never found a companion plant that can prevent the more determined and destructive pests from finding what they’re after. I’m pretty sure the squash bugs and cabbage moths laughed at me for thinking my silly flowers would stop them.
Even if you don’t have luck with the scent-masking thing, companion planting is still a worthy tool in your arsenal against pests. Flowers and herbs near your crops encourage good bugs to come hang out in the garden, some of which are natural predators of pest insects.
Monoculture, or large stands of annual crops planted all by themselves, creates prime conditions for booms in pest populations. While it may not be a bulletproof solution for persistent or invasive pests, a companion planting strategy with herbs and flowers creates a more balanced ecosystem. This does a lot to keep pest numbers in check, and it’ll noticeably reduce how much time you’ll have to spend on active pest control.
Since we stepped up our companion planting game, we have a lot more spiders around. We regularly see praying mantises and ladybugs, and large families of lightening bugs (whose larvae eat bad bugs) use our garden beds as home base every summer. Having more diversity in the garden also draws in other pest predators, like birds, toads, lizards, and little garden snakes.
Attract and Support Pollinators
Speaking of diversity, having plenty of pollinators around is essential for productive crops. Some plants, like squash, watermelon, and most varieties of cucumbers, won’t produce fruit at all without insect pollination. While tomatoes and peppers are somewhat self-pollinating, you’ll see seriously improved fruit set when you’ve got bumblebees checking them out.
Flowers in bloom around the garden beds draw in a ton of little native bees, bumblebees, and your local honeybees, as well as butterflies and other pollinating insects. That way, they’ll find your crops that need pollinating faster. The more pollinators you have visiting your garden, the better production you’ll get from your fruiting crops.
Since honeybees and many native bees and butterflies are threatened and declining in numbers each year, providing a little oasis full of blossoms for them to forage does them a favor, too. Dill and parsley are particularly helpful for black swallowtail butterflies, as these herbs are ideal host plants for the caterpillars.
Provide Shade
Taller, fast-growing companion plants can provide some nice filtered shade for heat-sensitive crops as summer arrives. Some brassicas may bolt before they produce a harvest, if they get too hot. For root veggies like carrots and beets, too-high temps can cause small or bitter roots. Strategically planting a companion like sunflowers to shield them a bit from the afternoon sun can help keep them happy and healthy later into the season.
Enhance the Flavor of Crops
I’m still on the fence about whether I believe this one, but a lot of folks say certain companion plants can make the harvest taste better. The best example is planting basil with tomatoes. In any case, basil and tomatoes are perfect together in a salad, so you can’t really go wrong here.
Mood Boost
Other practical benefits aside, seeing flowers blooming and smelling aromatic herbs in the garden is good for the soul. I don’t care who you are, everybody likes flowers. Plus, turning your garden into a more pleasant environment you enjoy being in makes it more likely you’ll keep up with maintenance tasks.
If I just had dirt, weeds, and plain rows of veggies (which are probably being eaten by pests) to look forward to, I might not be motivated enough to get out there and take care of things, if I’m having a shoddy mental health day.
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Companion Planting with Herbs and Flowers
Including flowers and herbs in with your veggies is pretty straightforward, but there are a few no-no’s to avoid so your companion plants don’t become an unforeseen problem. Keep these possible pitfalls in mind, when choosing companions and planting them in your garden:
1. Planting too close.
Most plants grow better when they have enough personal space, so don’t overdo it and cram too many companion plants in close proximity to your vegetables (or each other). Some annual flowers can grow big and vigorous. Without enough room, they might encroach on your crops and hog water and nutrients.
I’ve learned the hard way that marigolds, the OG companion flower, get a lot bigger than you’d think. They’ll bush out into tough, woody shrubs that can easily reach two or more feet wide, by summertime. I see way too many Instagram posts featuring cute marigold seedlings planted five inches from tomatoes. That just isn’t going to end well, y’all.
How much space you need to allow depends on which companion flowers/herbs you’re planting. Marigolds should ideally have at least a couple feet of space from other plants. On the other hand, calendula tends to be better about keeping to itself, so it can be planted closer. If you’re not sure about the behavior of a companion plant or how big it may get, search some images on Google to get a better idea.
Don’t worry if your beds still look a little bare, when you first plant your companion flowers and herbs. That means you’re doing it right. Your plants will fill out better and bloom a whole lot more with plenty of room, while packing them in too close can cause poor growth in the companion plants and main crops alike.
2. Planting things that might cast shade where you don’t want it.
While shade is a benefit in some scenarios, it’s a problem in others. You don’t want to unintentionally shade out heat-loving plants that need full sun. For taller companion plants, consider how big they’ll get and where the shadows will fall when deciding on the best spot for them.
3. Planting hostile companions.
The “bad neighbor” situation is mostly a problem when you’re intercropping different annual vegetables- i.e., beans can inhibit the growth of peppers. Most annual flowers and herbs get along with whatever, without issue. However, there are a couple exceptions.
Sunflowers are mildly allelopathic, meaning they produce chemicals that can affect the growth of other plants. While they’re fine company for many veggies, it’s a bad idea to plant them close to beans or potatoes, since both are sensitive to sunflower allelopathy.
Fennel, an herb in the carrot family, has more aggressive growth inhibiting tendencies than sunflowers do. It can mess with a lot of different plants, and the general consensus is that few things will grow properly beside fennel.
Some claim fennel gets along alright with cucumbers, peas, and lettuce, and can help control pests. If you asked me, though, I’d say don’t plant it in or near your main veggie plot. It spreads easily via self-seeding, and you don’t want hostile volunteers popping up where they shouldn’t be. For pest control, dill (related to fennel but not a jerk) works just as well. If you’d like to harvest fennel to use, it’s best grown in a perennial tea garden or herb garden with other plants known to tolerate it.
4. Planting perennial herbs or flowers
Be careful when companion planting with perennials, since a lot of these can spread aggressively and become a stubborn problem in annual vegetable beds. Mint and bee balm, for example, spread mainly via their vigorous root systems instead of seed. They’ll send up new shoots all over the place, and the unwanted plants are hard to remove. Any bit of root left in the ground, and they’ll grow right back!
Lots of the culinary herbs we like to grow are actually perennial and quite cold hardy, meaning they’ll come back every year and spread, unless you live in the tundra. Some of these, like thyme and chives, are less aggressive than mint and make good veggie companions. You’ll still need to do some maintenance to keep them under control, though, such as dividing and dead-heading flowers.
If you’d rather not fool with the extra work in your vegetable beds, make sure you’re planting companions that are either annual plants or perennials that will winter-kill in your climate. Cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, and borage are all good annual herb options.
Chives, a member of the allium family, are often suggested for pest control. This perennial herb produces beautiful purple blooms and is super cold hardy, and it’ll spread a bit via both seeding and roots, if you let it. If you’d rather go with something you don’t need to fight with periodically, try bunching onions instead.
5. Planting certain companions near crops you’ll need to spray for pests.
Remember how companion flowers and herbs attract pollinators and beneficial insects? You don’t want to plant companions that may become home to beneficial species too close to any crop you might need to spray with insecticides.
Since I know I have to treat my tomatoes with a weekly Bt (biological caterpillar control) spray during armyworm season some years, I don’t plant dill, parsley, or other butterfly host plants near them. That way, I won’t be putting any butterfly caterpillars in harm’s way. If you use broad-spectrum insecticides like neem oil, spinosad, or pyrethrin on any of your crops, use caution planting flowers too close. Those solutions are all dangerous for bees and pollinators.
Tips for Including Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
Aside from the handful of potential issues mentioned above, it’s hard to go wrong when planting herbs and flowers with your veggies, but here are several tips to get the max benefits:
Plan your layout.
Whether you’re a super organized planner or a chaos gardener, having a loose plan for how you’ll include companion herbs and flowers makes it easier to nail spacing and get the look you’re after. I usually just make a rough pencil sketch for what will go in each of my 4 x 12 garden beds, starting with main crops and then adding in companion plants.
If you prefer gardening in neat rows, don’t think you’ll have to turn your garden into a jungle to use companion plants. I’ve seen tidy, traditional gardens with entire rows of flowers and herbs planted strategically between veggie rows, and the effect is stunning.
Have a strategy.
When planning your garden, consider what companion plants are most needed where. I.e., flowers near crops that require insect pollination, shade providers like sunflowers for heat-sensitive vegetables.
Get your companion plants started ASAP.
Lots of annual flowers and herbs can tolerate slightly cooler temperatures than warm-season veggie crops. That means you can plan to go ahead and get most of them in the ground as soon as your last frost date passes. This way, your companion plants will get a head start and provide their benefits (like attracting pollinators) to your annual veggies a lot quicker.
My Favorite Universal Companion Plants for Annual Veggies
These five options have a spot in my garden every year, since they’re gorgeous, easy to grow, get along well with anything, and attract plenty of beneficial insects.
Marigolds
As long as you give them enough personal space, marigolds make good companion flowers anywhere in the garden. They’re prolific bloomers that are much loved by bees, butterflies, and hummingbird moths, and these low-maintenance annual flowers don’t mind clay-heavy soil.
You’ll most often find marigolds in vibrant red, orange, or yellow, but some rarer varieties have white or multi-colored blooms. Marigolds bloom heavily up until the first frost, providing forage for pollinators all summer long.
As for pest control, marigolds are believed to repel root-knot nematodes, a pest known to cause problems in areas with sandy soil. I’ve also found they make a decent trap crop for slugs, which will often choose to nibble on the marigold leaves over my food crops. If you have serious problems with slugs, you may need to protect your marigold seedlings with some DE or beer traps when they’re small. Once the plants get a little bigger, slug feeding on the lower leaves won’t bother them.
Calendula
Calendula is similar to marigolds, without the prolific bushing tendency. Since calendula grows taller and sends up blooms on stalks instead of sprawling like a shrub, it doesn’t require as much space as marigolds do. That makes it a great candidate for garden areas without a lot of extra space, such as along borders or tucked into corners.
Calendula comes in a handful of different varieties; red, orange, pink, and multi-colored. On top of being a pollinator magnet, it’s also edible and medicinal. Calendula works great for herbal skin care remedies, since it has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Calendula-infused oil can be used in salves for poison ivy, skin rashes, and wounds, as well as homemade anti-aging ointments.
Your calendula will usually self-seed, which is a good thing, since you’ll get zero effort flowers the next season. The volunteer seedlings are easy to pull, if they sprout somewhere you don’t want them.
Borage
Borage is a lovely universal pollinator flower with blue, nightshade-like flowers and large velvety leaves. It’s also known to attract a wide array of other beneficial bugs to the garden. Another reliable self-seeder, this unique-looking plant adds interest to the garden and will usually bloom all summer. Like marigolds, borage needs a bit of space; at least fifteen inches from other plants.
Borage flowers and leaves are edible, and some folks say they taste like cucumber. Personally, I don’t care to eat borage, but you can try them in a salad or in an iced drink. Borage roots are also believed to fix calcium and potassium in the soil, which is beneficial to most annual veggies.
Dill
We have dill all over our garden every year. Not only does it smell amazing, its yellow firework-shaped blossoms attract all sorts of beneficial insects to the garden, predatory bugs and pollinators alike. Dill is a favorite of ladybugs and lacewings, which prey on aphids, and parasitic wasps, which help control pest caterpillars like hornworms.
Despite how tall the flower stalks grow, dill is a shallow-rooted herb that isn’t bad to hog nutrients from nearby plants, making it a good companion even for heavy feeders. I like to plant dill near squash and cucumbers. Even though it honestly won’t do squat against squash vine borers, we’ve seen lower numbers of squash bugs and cucumber beetles when dill is growing nearby.
You can harvest dill leaves for cooking and flavoring your homemade pickles, too, of course. To keep the harvests coming all summer, keep a few of your plants pruned down so they don’t go to flower. I really recommend letting some flower, though, since the blooms are gorgeous and great for the friendly bugs. Forgot to prune your dill? Just wait for it to go to seed, and you can harvest those to use instead of the leaves.
Nasturtiums
Somewhere between cottage core and tropical rainforest, nasturtiums have interesting white-veined leaves that are almost as pretty as the flowers. Most nasturtiums are upright plants, but some have a trailing habit and can be trained as a ground cover to control weeds. Like borage and marigolds, nasturtiums need a bit of space, but they’ll play well anywhere in the garden.
Nasturtiums can serve as a “trap crop,” since pest insects like aphids and flea beetles often prefer them over vulnerable crops. They’re also the ultimate edible flower. The leaves have a distinct peppery flavor, and you can use them in salads, pesto, hot sauce, and more. The seeds can also be pickled and used like capers (sometimes called “poor man’s capers”).
These are just a few of my go-to companions. The options are REALLY broad, for companion planting flowers and herbs. Not only do they add some color, charm, and amazing scents to your garden, they’ll also boost the health and productivity of your crops, in one way or another.
