Garden Flowers

Whether you plant them yourself or let them grow freely from the wild, flowers in the garden serve many purposes - first they help attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. I find that in the early summer it is especially important to attract bees and butterflies to the garden while the planted crops are still small. That way, when they start to bloom there will already be plenty of pollinators buzzing around. Second, flowers in and around your garden will also attract beneficial insects that will prey on pests that can be damaging to your plants, such as aphids and leaf beetles. And, most importantly, they are worthwhile just because they are beautiful. Flowers that bloom at different times throughout the growing season add interest to the garden through their color, different shapes and their overall beauty.

Sometimes I have a hard time thinning out the wild flowers - this may crowd out planted crops, but by mid-summer there is never a shortage of blooms to put in a vase for the kitchen table

A couple additional ways to encourage beneficial insects is by planting herbs and letting some of your plants go to seed. Mustard results in a blanket of yellow flowers and my radish plants that flower instead of producing a bulb have a mix of pink and white flowers. By planting herbs you not only have an abundance of flowers, but you also have plants that can be appreciated all year long by adding fresh flavor to your cooking in the summer and when dried can be appreciated into the following season.

Bumble bee on scallion

Many herbs are perennials so their care is minimal.  All you need to do is keep them trimmed and divide them periodically.  Staples in my garden include scallions, sage, oregano, thyme and lavender.