Avegetable gardengreatly benefits from adding flowers and herbs, not just for aesthetics.
The pest insect will assemble on the trap crop, which you might then hand-pick and destroy.
The most famous flower trap crop is probablynasturtiums, which attract aphids.Nicotianais also a viable trap crop.
The Spruce / Valerie de León
Before you plant trap crops, weigh the risk of attracting more of the pest to your garden.
The trap crop technique is generally used the year after a pest has significantly damaged your plants.
If you might, time it so the trap crop is more mature than the plant it protects.
The Spruce / Valerie de León
Pollinators Are Attracted to Nectar-Rich Plants
Vegetables don’t always have the showiest flowers.
Don’t overlook flowering herbs.
Herbs in the mint family, such asoreganoandthyme, are particular favorites of bees.
The Spruce / Valerie de León
Of course, you must stop harvesting a few plants to give them time to set buds and flowers.
These beneficial insects include ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps, and ground beetles.
As with every other insect, beneficial insects have certain preferences in plants.
The Spruce / Valerie de León
Whether there is also a symbiotic relationship between different plant species is still being studied.
Let them do dual duty as cut flowers and pollinator lures.
Planting annual and perennial flowers next to each other is a good idea.
The Spruce / Valerie de León
Some good examples are black-eyed Susans, which pair well with cosmos, daylilies, or phlox.
Daylilies also combine well with coneflowers,lavender, or yarrow.
Companion planting in home gardens.
The Spruce / Valerie de León
University of Minnesota Extension.
