Many think that vegetable gardens are boring and dull. The truth is that vegetable gardens are the most versatile and dynamic since they change with the season. In addition, there are easy flowers you can add to the vegetable garden to make it even more delightful.
They also can be the most colorful if you think outside the box and try different varieties. For example, tomatoes are not always red, and peppers are not always green. But there is another solution to make your garden lively and attractive, and that is by tucking flowers in it.
Flowers for the cool-season
The vegetable garden during the cool season is a little neater than in the warm season. Most vegetables are low and contained in one space, except for climbing peas. It is also the case of cool-season flowers. They are mostly mounding plants, which makes it easier to plant them in between the vegetables. Here are some examples of cool-season flowers:
Calendula
Calendula is a beautiful bright flower that is attractive to bees. It grows well from October through April but tends to fade away due to powdery mildew in May. It makes a great border in a vegetable bed within the bed.
Dianthus
Dianthus is another cool-season flower with very attractive flowers. Its growth habit can be mounding or slightly tall for cut flowers. It blooms in clusters making a statement when planted in groups.
Snapdragon
Snapdragons are another wonderful choice for the vegetable garden. They come in two forms of growth habits: dwarf and tall.
The dwarf snapdragon blooms early in the season all the way through spring and can survive the summer if provided some shade and constant water.
The giant or tall snapdragon need the cold winter to grow their foliage. Keep pinching the tips to encourage thicker plant development. Then, the blooms explode in spring with the most beautiful scented flowers.
Pansies
A little delicate flower that provides tons of color when planted in groups. It is a great choice for accentuating borders and maybe separating crop rows. Surprisingly, they withstand cold snaps down to 3F (-16C).
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Alyssum is called so for its sweet scent. It is a spilling or trailing plant, which makes great for pots and borders of raised beds. The massive amount of tiny white blooms makes it look like snowflakes on a green pillow.
Flowers for the warm season
Different from the cool-season, the warm-season garden is lush and crowded if I may say so. The flowers that would make a statement in it should be tall and vigorous. Here is a list of possible plants.
African daisy
African daisy, also called Osteospermum, is a cousin of the sunflower with a mounding growth. It is excellent for borders or pot arrangements.
The new cultivars come in a wide range of colors and interesting petals.
Balsam
Balsam is not a widely popular flower in the USA. It is found mostly in Indian gardens. Blasam is easy to grow from seed if directly sown in the ground. It does not tolerate too much water, making it great for dry climates. It also comes in different colors. Balsam spreads readily by spreading its seeds.
Blue butterfly pea
The blue pea flower is another underrated summer flower. It is an annual vining plant with a royal-blue flower that looks like a butterfly.
In Asian cultures, the petals are steeped in warm water to make a blue tea rich in antioxidants.
Gregg’s Mist
Graig’s mistflower comes in two colors: light blue and white. The white variety is fragrant, but both are attractive to butterflies and bees. They also spread and take out quite a space, so better to plant them within borders.
Hyacinth bean
A member of the bean family, the Hyacinth bean is mostly grown for its beautiful clusters of purple flowers. The bean pod is only edible when it is small; otherwise, it turns toxic at maturity if not cooked properly.
Sunflowers
No one can imagine summer without sunflowers. They come in different heights and widths. They also come in different colors. Adding sunflowers to the garden will help deter birds and squirrels from your vegetables. Instead, they will feed on the sunflower seeds.
Roselle
Roselle is from the hibiscus family, grown for its calyxes used for tea. The plant is easily grown from seed and thrives in hot dry weather. The bloom is very similar to the okra flower, but it only lasts a day.
Zinnias
Zinnias are the most popular flowers in the home garden, especially since they are among the easiest to grow. In addition, their single-stemmed flowerhead makes them a wonderful cut-flower. Do not settle for the commonly bright-colored varieties; explore other options such as Queen and Binary series.
