It's possible that you're growing a vegetable garden at home and that until now you've limited yourself to just planting and harvesting vegetables, without stopping to think that there are useful flowers in the garden that can also be a very good option! If this is the case for you, read on and turn your small garden into an even more special space thanks to these garden flowers.
BENEFICIAL FLOWERS FOR YOUR GARDEN
Benefits of flowers for the garden
Flowering plants can be great companions in your organic garden. To begin with, a flower garden has a unique aesthetic value: the shapes and colors of the flowers will give this space a more cheerful and beautiful appearance, as well as scenting the garden or yard with a mixture of very pleasant aromas.
In addition to the sensory aspects, the association of flowering plants such as spirea, tagetes or chrysanthemums with vegetables grown in the organic garden helps us in many aspects related to the care and proper development of vegetables.
Advantages of putting flowers in the garden:
Flowers in the garden limit weeds and keep away insects that can become garden pests
Due to their allelopathic effects and better use of the land, they attract beneficial auxiliary insects (parasites or pest predators).
They favor pollination - because the flowers attract pollinating insects.
They increase biodiversity, a key aspect of organic farming.
In addition, some of these flowering plants have petals or edible parts, so we can enjoy very special flavors by using them as condiments or main ingredients in salads, soups, sauces, tortillas... or simply as decorative elements in our dishes. You can read more about this in the post Aromatics in the garden: which ones and why.
5 beneficial flowers for the orchard or garden
The best way to keep flowers in the garden all year round is to use several species, the more the better, and with different flowering times. Here are some of the best species of flowering plants for the garden.
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
It is a shrub that is widely used as an ornamental plant in gardens due to the strength of its leaves and its long-lasting white, orange or pink flowers (which bloom from spring until the onset of autumn-winter frosts).
You can plant it as a hedge in the orchard or garden or as a stand-alone plant.
Its presence in the orchard is interesting because associated with this plant lives the yellow aphid (Aphis neeri), which not only doesn't attack the orchard's vegetables and fruit trees, but also attracts predators such as ladybugs, lacewings or parasitoids such as wasps from the Aphidiinae family, which will then be close to our crops to ward off pests.
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Annual herbaceous plant with blue, purple or white flowers that last from spring to late summer.
Interesting because it doesn't need any special care and, as well as beautifying the garden and promoting pollination and biodiversity, it is an edible plant with diuretic, anti-stress and low-calorie properties, providing vitamins and minerals. The leaves and stems are usually cooked as spinach scrambled with eggs, or can also be eaten raw in salads, soups... The flowers are used in pastries and drinks.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
It is perennial, although you can also plant it every year.
Its yellow or orange flowers attract aphid predators.
As well as being one of the best-known useful flowers in the garden, this is another ornamental or edible plant: its flowers can be used in cooking as a substitute for saffron (it adds color and flavor) and also in salads.
Tagetes (Tagetes erecta)
With showy, orange annual flowers that appear from summer to fall, Tagete reduces soil nematodes that can cause diseases in our vegetables by up to 90% thanks to some toxic compounds it releases. It also helps to control the infestation of aphids and other harmful insects.
You can intersperse tagetes between crops or plant them at one end of the terrace or cultivation table.
Chagas ( Tropaeolum majus )
They are plants with bright orange flowers, which is why in some places this plant is known as the "blood flower".
Nasturtiums are useful flowers in organic gardens and are used for biological pest control. Their scent repels pests such as snails and slugs, bedbugs and aphids.
In addition, the flowers and stems of this plant can be eaten raw in salads. They can also be cooked (in tortillas or grilled) and have a slightly spicy taste reminiscent of watercress. The seeds are also edible and can be pickled in vinegar, like capers.
These are just a few, but we can have an infinite number of flowering plants in the garden that will at least help with pollination and give us a more attractive garden: basil, angelica, carnations, nasturtium, comfrey, chrysanthemums, dill, dahlias, fennel, hyssop, lavender, daisies, roses, oregano, rosemary, tansy, thyme...
How to use garden flowers
As well as planting or sowing like the ones we've seen, we can also take advantage of all the functions of the flowers of the vegetables we tend in our garden.
Edible plants help to improve the aesthetics of dishes and also provide biologically active substances that are beneficial to health, such as antioxidants, vitamins A, C, riboflavin or niacin and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron or potassium.
For example, zucchini or squash, as well as being large and showy, are edible. They are widely used in Mexican and Italian cuisine, which is why they are also known by their Italian name, zucchini. They serve as a side dish or as a filling for pasta dishes (like the one in the photo on the right), or cooked in tempura, stuffed with mozzarella, vegetables...
Other crops in the garden, lilies such as onions, garlic or chives, have large, showy flowers that will help to give the garden a more eye-catching touch. They are spherical inflorescences in pink, purple or whitish colors.
These garden plants are also edible and can be the ideal addition to salads, where they will add a very special touch of flavor and color.
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