We always grow lots of flowers. Not as garden-designer beds, but in rows like kitchen garden crops. We try to find ones that the local deer species and rabbits and slugs don’t eat, that don’t need much watering, and are easy to keep weeded. In the past, I had beehives and wanted pollen and nectar sources for the honeybees, but now it’s just for enjoying the flowers. Even so, there are lots of pollinating insects feeding on them.
Zinnias, marigolds, 4:00’s, gladiolas, and cosmos work out really well here. Also rudbeckias, daylilies - which have tasty flowers, nice for salads, and mints. It’s hard to kill bearded irises, but somehow I manage to kill most of mine. Nasturtiums are nice for show and salads, too. Nice peppery flavor.
Annual flowers are also part of the crop rotation, since the ones we grow are not related to tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, sweet corn, beans, etc. I used to plant daffodils, alliums, hyacithoides, and mints and lemon balm around the young fruit trees to see if they inhibited moles and voles, but I don’t think that really works. I still plant them, but just for looking now.
These zinnias were on the deck, but mostly they get planted in the kitchen garden. Just a standard seed mix.
I don’t really want any seeds, though. Sorry if I’ve veered off topic. Probably shouldn’t have. Just thought it was something to talk about. I meant to save zinnia seeds this year, but the fall rains left the flower heads soggy, and I thought they might not be worth the trouble.
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