Can Culinary Herbs be Companioned with Flowers?

[History Detective]

Hello to all! I have a number of young culinary herbs that are growing in containers (just planted about a month ago), and I am wondering if you might be able to tell me if they are beneficial companions to flowers. I currently have scented carnations, violets, poppies, roses, and creeping phlox planted, and I would love to know if these or other flowers might do well with the herbs. For herbs I currently have basil, Cuban oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, chives, and parsley.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Beth_B]

Sure, why not? I have containers on my porch and back deck and usually combine herbs and annuals just to make them more colorful. Have a 3-gallon pot that I plant basil in every year. Last year a bird apparently dropped a sunflower seed in the pot so I had a fairly large sunflower alongside the basil. They coexisted just fine.

 

[marlingardener]

Herbs can help flowers, and vegetables, too! Roses and rosemary are good companions, and basil helps tomatoes. Marjoram is beneficial to nearby plants by helping them be more robust. Chives keep powdery mildew at bay from nearby plants. Parsley is a host plant for butterflies, so if you see a caterpillar on parsley, leave it alone and you'll get the butterfly you see on my avatar!

 

[History Detective]

Sure, why not? I have containers on my porch and back deck and usually combine herbs and annuals just to make them more colorful. Have a 3-gallon pot that I plant basil in every year. Last year a bird apparently dropped a sunflower seed in the pot so I had a fairly large sunflower alongside the basil. They coexisted just fine.

I love the story about the sunflower, Beth_B! You never know what will sprout up when a bird has graced your garden!

 

[History Detective]

Herbs can help flowers, and vegetables, too! Roses and rosemary are good companions, and basil helps tomatoes. Marjoram is beneficial to nearby plants by helping them be more robust. Chives keep powdery mildew at bay from nearby plants. Parsley is a host plant for butterflies, so if you see a caterpillar on parsley, leave it alone and you'll get the butterfly you see on my avatar!

That is a lovely butterfly, marlingardener--and thank you for the planting information! I am greatly interested in companion planting, so these tips are of tremendous help to me.

 

[Autumn_Hearthwitch]

I have planted tomatoes and basil together before and it worked very well, I didn't have any problems. And I plant marjoram regularly around my garden as I had heard long ago that they were beneficial to nearby plants. I have heard about roses and rosemary but I have never tried it myself. This year I planted chives in my garden as well as I had some of that powdery mildew on some of my plants last year. I won't know for a bit if the chives will work but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Very pretty butterfly, I've never planted parsley but I might reconsider if it gives me lovely butterflies like that one.

 

[History Detective]

I have planted tomatoes and basil together before and it worked very well, I didn't have any problems. And I plant marjoram regularly around my garden as I had heard long ago that they were beneficial to nearby plants. I have heard about roses and rosemary but I have never tried it myself. This year I planted chives in my garden as well as I had some of that powdery mildew on some of my plants last year. I won't know for a bit if the chives will work but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Very pretty butterfly, I've never planted parsley but I might reconsider if it gives me lovely butterflies like that one.

Hi, Autumn_Hearthwitch! I'll be planting tomatoes very soon, so it's good to know you've had some success with planting the tomatoes and basil together. They also taste delicious together in recipes, so it's interesting they make good planting companions.