What flowers are good companion plants?
Marigolds. Marigolds are probably the most well-known flower for companion planting with vegetables—and for good reason. They repel nematodes, deter squash bugs, and attract tons of beneficial insects. In the gardening world, we call that a triple threat. Don’t stop at blue flowers. Other pollinator-attracting annuals include zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, lantana, tithonia, and snapdragons.Marigolds and nasturtium are great companion plants with veggies. I like to add zinnias and sunflowers to attract pollinators as well. Add some other nectar flowers where the milkweed are to round out a pollinator garden… echinacea, lavender, bee balm, blue mist, mountain mint, black eyed Susan’s, etc.
What destroys marigolds?
From slug control and getting rid of snails, to sap-sucking pests like aphids and spider mites, and other insects, such as beetles and weevils, marigolds are attractive to a range of pests. There are larger pests that destroy plants that marigolds can ‘trap’, too. This includes rabbits, deer, and even squirrels. Calendula. Marigolds are often companion planted with zinnias and vegetables to increase pollinator activity in veggie gardens, but calendula plants also grow well with zinnias, and they can be used like marigolds to attract beneficial insects and make gardens more resistant to pests.French marigolds are perhaps one of the best-known flowers to use as companion plants in a vegetable garden. Marigold blooms attract bees and other pollinators and produce compounds in their root systems that may aid in killing non-beneficial nematodes in the soil.Companion planting plants like calendula with vegetables and certain flowers can bolster each other and significantly improve your garden productivity. Calendula attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies to the garden, which are essential for plant reproduction.