Best flower for the vegetable garden?

[KenK]

I mostly like to grow food. My lovely wife grows pansies and a few other things in containers. Her roses have been nothing but a disaster between the deer and whatever else seems to torment the rose. I would love to be able to present her with an occasional pretty flower from my garden.

It needs to be flashy and smell good if it all possible, Marigolds won't cut it.

 

[paddock36]

Zinnias are a very easy flower to plant from seed and very pretty.

 

[Carols Clucks]

Sunflowers You can even use as bean poles!

Gladiolas

We do a border around our garden with Hollyhocks, Gladiolas, calendulas, marigolds, daffodils, naked ladies, nasturtiums and sweet peas. Makes for a variety of flowers that the chickens pretty much leave alone (once they get big enough)

 

[Jules0988]

I have found that Marigold's are the easiest to grow and are a deterrent for rodents. I love Lilies also- I have tiger lilies and they are so low maintenance - they do spread so be careful where you plant them.

 

[gmendoza]

How bout elfwart?

They grow from 4-8' in height,have yellow flowers,grows hearty by root division or cuttings,attracts bees and butterflies, not an invasive species,but something you dont see around everyday.

We are currently propagating seeds for our yard.

 

[hennyannie]

Check up on herbs, some of them have a great smelling bloom, are ediable, and grow good in veggie gardens.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I don't usually cut my flowers, so I'm not sure. I do love cosmos, they come in different colors and they have long stems, which are good in a vase. For showy, I think there are a lot of gorgeous dahlias. I'm not sure if they have much scent, though. You might be able to grow a combination of things that smell good and things that look showy, for putting in the vase at the same time.

I love to have alyssum around in the garden. It smells fantastic and is a good nectar plant for the native pollinators. Not good for cutting, but good for the garden. Thyme is also a good nectar plant, although the bloom time is shorter than alyssum's.

I love the smell of heliotrope!

 

[moonlyghtegirl]

Quote:
Marigolds are my choice to interplant in a veg garden, espeically around tomatoes, as they are a deterrent for many insects. Marigolds come in diff sizes and scents as well. Marigild and Nasturtium are edible (please do your homework before eating any plant you haven;t normally cultivated for food before).

 

[NanaKat]

Planting flowers in your garden is the best way to attract bees to pollinate.
We plant flowers in the ends of each 4 x 16 foot bed. Makes for a pretty garden and still leaves plenty of room for veggies.

Some perenials and bulbs at the ends of the beds allow you to work the body of the bed without disturbing the flowers. Annuals then can help flesh out the cutting flowers during the seasons. We plant jonquils, lantana, iris, naked ladies, poppies, cosmos, joe pye, veronica, marigolds, Asiatic lilies, day lilies, zinnias, African daisy, sunflowers (dwarf varieties) nasturtiums, snap dragons, sweet william, cockscomb and nicotinia....and what ever my heart desires....

I always have lovely flowers for arranging and well pollinated fruits and veggies.

 

[jeremy]

We're doing "dinner plate" Dahlias this year in our raised beds, in large pots sunk into the beds themselves to contain the tubers.

I mixed up all the tubers and then planted them all in their induvidual pots, so it'll be quite a surprise to see what colors we get in each bed, I'm excited!