Yeah, my veggies make me happy. I love tending, harvesting, and cooking up beautiful plump tomatoes and crisp green salads. But what really gives me heart eyes, inspires me to text my mom a photo, and leaves me awed at the wonders of nature? My flowers. The colors! The shapes! The way the blooms open a little more each day then fade into structural seed heads. It’s such a glorious show, design to dazzle.

It’s easy to think of vegetables and flowers as belonging in separate spaces—veggies for the kitchen, flowers for the vase. But the truth is, vegetables love flowers, and a thriving, productive kitchen garden is even better when blooms are in the mix. Countless relationships form between the plants in your garden; they support each other by attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects, repelling pests, and adding that special je ne se quoi to your raised beds. It’s usually easy to convince people to include flowers in their kitchen garden, but in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, let’s just spend a little more time celebrating them. Flowers, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

1. My Flowers Bring the Bees to the Yard

Many of the veggies we love—tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and beans—rely on pollinators to produce fruit. Flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, increasing the likelihood of abundant harvests. Without pollinators, your squash blossoms might look lovely but never turn into actual squash. Chose several different flower shapes (discs, tubes, umbral), sizes, and colors to attract a variety of insects that help your garden in different ways.

Best flowers for pollinators:

Zinnias – A favorite of bees and butterflies, blooming all season long. These are easy to grow and come in so many gorgeous shades.
Sunflowers – A nectar source for pollinators and a visual statement in the garden.
Borage – Not only attracts bees but also benefits nearby plants by improving soil health.
Bee Balm/Monarda - the big bumbles go crazy for these blooms that look like fireworks.

2. Flowers Help Keep Pests Away

Certain flowers are natural pest deterrents, helping to protect your crops without the need for chemical sprays. Marigolds, for example, are famous for repelling nematodes in the soil, while nasturtiums act as a trap crop, luring squash bugs away from your vegetables.

Best flowers for pest control:

Marigolds – Mask the scent of other plants, confusing pests.
Nasturtiums – Have been found to deter squash bugs from zucchini.
Calendula – Trap crop for aphids, keeping them away from collard greens and other plants.

3. Flowers Improve Soil and Biodiversity

Some flowers, like clover, can fix nitrogen in the soil, naturally enriching it for neighboring vegetable plants. Others attract beneficial insects—ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps—that help control garden pests.

Best flowers for soil health & biodiversity:

Sweet Alyssum – Attracts beneficial insects and acts as a living mulch.
Clover – Fixes nitrogen in the soil and provides nectar for bees.
Yarrow – Attracts ladybugs and other natural pest predators.

4. Flowers Add Beauty (and Joy!)

Beyond their practical benefits, flowers make the vegetable garden a more joyful place. A garden full of color, scent, and movement—bees buzzing, butterflies floating—creates an immersive experience that goes beyond just growing food. Plus, flowers for cutting mean you can bring a little of that beauty indoors.

Best flowers for beauty and cutting:

Cosmos – Delicate, airy flowers that pair well with just about anything.
Dahlias – A dramatic statement bloom that thrives in veggie beds.
Snapdragons – A long-lasting cut flower with a fun shape and a variety of colors.

How to Incorporate Flowers Into Your Veggie Garden

Interplant flowers with veggies – Tuck marigolds among your tomatoes or scatter nasturtiums around the base of squash plants.
Edge garden beds with blooms – A border of calendula or alyssum looks beautiful and serves a purpose.
Dedicate a pollinator patch or perimeter– A small corner of the garden or a ring of beds planted with a variety of nectar-rich flowers will benefit the whole space.
Let your herbs bloom — Sometimes an early warm spell causes our dill, cilantro, and parsley to “bolt” or rush to create seed. The leaves don’t taste good anymore, but you can leave the plant to bloom in place, creating beautiful umbral blooms that are favorites of tiny parasitic wasps. Other herbs that look beautiful when they bloom and provide forage for insects are thyme, oregano, basil, and chives.

Keep Spreading the Love: Nurture Plant Partnerships

A well-designed kitchen garden isn’t just about productivity—it’s about creating an ecosystem where all the plants support each other. Flowers and vegetables aren’t just neighbors; they’re partners, working together to create a more abundant, balanced, and beautiful space.

So next time you plan your raised beds, don’t forget the flowers—your veggies will thank you for it. For further reading, we recommend Plant Partners by Jessica Walliser. This book details the various ways plants interact in a garden space and cites research studies to support hundreds of beneficial relationships.

Veggies Love Flowers, and We Do Too