There’s absoloutely nothing that is aesthetically pleasing about my garden. It’s like the beige office cube of the corporate world – it holds what it needs to and provides enough cover to allow you to surf websites before your boss catches you and calls you a loafer and threatens your job and makes fun of your talking Yoda doll.
So, rectangles and all, it’s what works for me. I’m not a designer and I don’t really care to try my hand at flower gardening. But I’m long overdue for working in some flowers that can help my veggies grow. If they look nice, that’s fine too.
Flowers can add some pollinator attraction. They can provide some pest repellant. And they can add some edibility. This year it’s time for nasturtiums (tasty, pretty, pollinator, pest protectors), marigolds (pest protectors, some pollinator attraction), borage (keep it under control spreads like mad… good for bees, pest protector), and cat thyme (bee attractor, cat seducer/border guard).
The Podchef covered quite a bit of options in Gastrocast 164. But since I’m a complete flower doofus, I need even more help to steer me in the right direction! What flowers work for you and why?
Compostings 
Okay, your choices are all excellent. So far, ever so good! And the nasturtiums and marigolds will add great color to the garden beds, too. Buthow about mixing in a few more flowering herbs with the borage and catnip? Chives, gorgeous white-flowered garlic chives, rosemary, oregano, scented geraniums. You get the blooms and the tasty harvest, too! Johnny-jump-ups are also almost irresisitible (totally irresistible for us). So many different colors to choose from, so delightful and easy, and they take up so little room! Ditto for violets for shade. Finally, some chrysanthemums have edible foliage for Chinese dishes, making them great candidates for edible landscaping, along with daylilies with their edible buds (great in stir-fries). Oops, almost forgot scarlet runner beans, with gorgeous blooms AND edible beans. And sunflowers, and safflower, and…
Well now we’re talking ourfriendben! I’ve got a great chive patch, but not in the garden. I can easily work that in. Rosemary is a go. Geraniums! Sure I can do that. Johnny jump ups (although I don’t know flowers) are among my favorites. Chrysanthemums.. never know you could eat the foliage. I’m on it. Scarlet runner beans, check. Sunflowers.. now here’s an idea. I think that I could get a good batch closer to the house. I don’t have a great sunny spot, but they’ll get 5 hours of sun love.
Dandelions are edible. I’m just sayin’….
Love it Ali! It’s true and I prefer not to destroy the poor little dandelions with any sort of poison. Is there a more insatiable weed killer than my appetite? I suspect not! And was it you or A Sonoma Garden who posted a cool dandelion wine thing? Going to have to look that up…