23 Beneficial Companion Flowers For Your Vegetable Garden - Sunflowers, Bee Balm, And Butterfly Bush!

Forget boring garden designs that look like agricultural fields. Our list of the best companion flowers for vegetable gardens will transform your growing space into a buzzing, blooming paradise that works harder than you do! These blooms add eye candy, attract beneficial insects, repel pests, fix nitrogen, and even provide gourmet ingredients for your kitchen.

Delicious garden tomato harvest with some lovely zinnia flowers.

Sound enticing?

Then, let’s plant some beneficial veggie garden flowers!

23 Best Companion Flowers For Vegetable Gardens

Get ready to discover 23 flower superstars that’ll make your vegetables healthier, your harvest bigger, and your garden the envy of every neighbor on the block.

1. Sunflower

Beautiful and colorful sunflowers growing in a rural village garden.

Sunflowers are like giant golden beacons that call in the cavalry of bees and butterflies from miles around. These towering beauties can reach 6 to 12 feet tall! They create natural stakes for climbing beans while their massive blooms work overtime, attracting pollinators to your entire garden.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall.
Flower Color: Bright yellow, gold, orange, or red.
Plant Size: 3 to 12 feet tall, depending on the variety.

Plant sunflowers on the north side of your garden so their towering height doesn’t shade out your sun-loving vegetables.

2. Lupine

Beautiful pink blooming lupine flowers growing in the garden.

Lupine stands tall with its beautiful and spiky towers of purple, pink, or white flowers. Still, the real magic happens underground, where it’s busy pulling nitrogen from the air and depositing it in the soil like a natural fertilizer factory. Your vegetables will thank you with lusher growth and better yields.

USDA Grow Zone: 4 to 8.
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer.
Flower Color: Blue, purple, pink, white, or yellow.
Plant Size: 1 to 4 feet tall.

Cut back spent lupine flower spikes to encourage a second flush of blooms and prevent aggressive self-seeding in small gardens.

3. Calendula

Gorgeous green plum Roma tomatoes growing next to marigold and calendula flowers.

Calendula is a multitasking marvel with bright orange and yellow daisy-like blooms that attract aphid-eating ladybugs and lacewings while also serving as an edible garnish for your salads. It’s like having a pest control service and gourmet ingredients rolled into one cheerful package.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Early summer through fall.
Flower Color: Yellow, orange, and cream.
Plant Size: 1 to 2 feet tall.

Pinch calendula petals directly into salads for a saffron-like color boost, or dry whole flowers to make healing skin balms.

4. Bee Balm

Colorful and chaotic garden with veggies herbs and flowers.

Bee Balm lives up to its name with tubular red, pink, or purple flowers that create a buzzing highway for bees and butterflies. This native wildflower spreads happily and blooms for months, ensuring your garden stays pollinator-friendly all season long.

USDA Grow Zone: 4 to 9.
Bloom Time: Mid to late summer.
Flower Color: Red, pink, purple, or white.
Plant Size: 2 to 4 feet tall.

Divide bee balm clumps every 2 to 3 years to prevent the center from dying out and to create more plants for free.

5. Chrysanthemums

Lovely pumpkin and apple harvest alongside colorful chrysanthemum flowers.

Chrysanthemums are nature’s pesticide in flower form, containing pyrethrin compounds that make insects think twice about setting up shop in your garden. Their cheerful fall blooms in yellows, whites, and burgundies provide late-season color while keeping ants, aphids, and a whole host of garden troublemakers at bay.

USDA Grow Zone: 5 to 9.
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall.
Flower Color: Yellow, white, red, orange, pink, and purple.
Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet tall.

Plant chrysanthemums in late spring after frost danger passes, as these tender perennials need warm soil to establish properly.

6. Sweet Alyssum

Beautiful snow cloth sweet alyssum flowers growing in the backyard garden.

Sweet alyssum carpets the ground with tiny white, pink, or purple flowers that smell like honey and attract hoverflies – those striped beneficial insects that look like small bees but are voracious aphid eaters. This low-growing annual self-seeds readily, creating a living mulch that works for you.

USDA Grow Zone: 5 to 9 (often grown as an annual).
Bloom Time: Spring through fall.
Flower Color: White, pink, lavender, and purple.
Plant Size: 4 to 8 inches tall.

Use sweet alyssum as living grout between stepping stones or pavers for a cottage garden look that works.

7. Tansy

Lovely yellow tansy flowers alongside some yummy garden tomatoes and pumpkins.

Tansy might look like innocent yellow buttons, but ants despise its strong scent and will detour around areas where it grows. Just a few plants strategically placed can create ant-free zones around your prized vegetables.

USDA Grow Zone: 3 to 9.
Bloom Time: Mid to late summer.
Flower Color: Bright yellow.
Plant Size: 2 to 5 feet tall.

Medieval Europeans believed tansy could grant immortality, though today, we know its real superpower is simply keeping ants away.

8. Nasturtiums

Lovely nasturtium flowers growing in the backyard vegetable garden.

Nasturtiums are the ultimate trap crop with their lily pad leaves and bright orange, yellow, or red trumpet flowers that aphids and squash bugs prefer over your vegetables. Plus, both leaves and flowers pack a peppery punch perfect for salads and sandwiches.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Late spring through fall.
Flower Color: Red, orange, yellow, and cream.
Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet tall or trailing vines up to 10 feet.

Pick nasturtium leaves and flowers in the morning when their peppery oils are most concentrated for the best culinary punch.

9. Rudbeckia

Beautiful orange coneflowers growing in the backyard garden.

Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) serves up golden daisy-like flowers with dark centers that pollinators adore. These hardy perennials bloom from summer through fall, ensuring your garden has a steady stream of bee and butterfly visitors when your vegetables need pollinating most.

USDA Grow Zone: 3 to 9.
Bloom Time: Midsummer to fall.
Flower Color: Yellow or gold with dark centers.
Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet tall.

Leave Black-eyed Susan seed heads standing through winter to feed goldfinches and other birds while providing a natural garden structure.

10. Snapdragons

Beautiful bright red snapdragon flowers growing in the garden.

Snapdragons add vertical intrigue with their tall spikes of dragon-mouth flowers in every color imaginable. Their vibrant blooms attract pollinators, and the sturdy stems create natural supports for sprawling vegetables. Some whimsical gardeners also try squeezing the flowers to make them “talk.”

USDA Grow Zone: 7 to 10 (grown as annuals in cooler zones).
Bloom Time: Spring and fall.
Flower Color: Red, pink, orange, yellow, white, and multicolored.
Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet tall.

Interplant snapdragons with shorter vegetables, such as lettuce and radishes, to create natural wind protection and microclimates.

11. Tall Verbena

Beautiful pink and purplish verbena flowers blooming and thriving in the garden.

Tall verbena produces purple flower clusters on sturdy stems that sway gracefully in the breeze, serving as landing pads for bees and butterflies. This heat-tolerant annual keeps blooming even when summer temperatures soar.

USDA Grow Zone: 7 to 11 (grown as an annual elsewhere).
Bloom Time: Late spring to frost.
Flower Color: Purple or lavender.
Plant Size: 3 to 6 feet tall.

Pinch growing tall verbena tips when plants reach 6 inches tall. Doing so encourages bushier growth and more flower clusters.

12. Petunias

Watering some beautiful flowering petunia plants in the raised garden bed.

Petunias spill over garden edges with their trumpet-shaped flowers in vibrant colors, but they’re more than just pretty faces – they repel squash bugs and other pests with their natural compounds. Plant them near cucumbers and squash for best results.

USDA Grow Zone: 10 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Spring through frost.
Flower Color: Nearly every color, including purple, pink, white, red, and yellow.
Plant Size: Around 6 inches to 2 feet tall, depending on the variety.

Deadhead spent petunia blooms weekly to keep the flower show going strong all season long.

13. Anise Hyssop

Gorgeous Agastache Black Adder flowers growing which is an Anise Hyssop cultivar

Anise hyssop produces dense spikes of purple flowers that smell like black licorice and attract every pollinator in the neighborhood. This native perennial self-seeds readily, and the leaves make excellent tea, giving you beauty, pest control, and beverages all in one plant.

USDA Grow Zone: 4 to 8.
Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall.
Flower Color: Lavender to purple.
Plant Size: 2 to 4 feet tall.

Native Americans anise hyssop plant to treat coughs and fevers, referring to it as “fragrant giant hyssop” due to its healing properties.

14. Pansies

Gorgeous burgundy pansy flower growing in the garden.

Pansies have lovely “faces” in purple, yellow, white, and multicolored combinations that are entirely edible and add a sweet, mild flavor to salads and desserts. These cool-weather champions bloom when many other flowers have called it quits, inviting native bees and pollinators when they might otherwise look elsewhere.

USDA Grow Zone: 6 to 10 (often grown as cool-season annuals).
Bloom Time: Spring and fall.
Flower Color: Purple, yellow, blue, red, white, and multicolored.
Plant Size: 6 to 9 inches tall.

Plant pansies in early spring or fall, when cool weather brings out their best colors and extends their bloom period.

15. Lavender

A wooden crate stuffed with various herbs veggies and also lovely lavender flowers.

Lavender creates fragrant gray-green mounds topped with purple flower spikes that repel moths, deer, and rabbits while attracting bees who turn the nectar into premium honey. The dried flowers scent your home and wardrobes long after harvest.

USDA Grow Zone: 5 to 9.
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer.
Flower Color: Purple, lavender, or blue.
Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet tall.

Cut lavender stems just as flower buds begin to open for the most potent fragrance in dried arrangements.

16. Zinnias

Purple zinnia flowers growing alongside some yummy sun gold cherry tomatoes.

Zinnias are the workhorses of the cutting garden, producing endless blooms in every color except blue while attracting butterflies, bees, and even hummingbirds to your vegetable patch. They thrive in heat and prefer poor soil, making them foolproof companions.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Summer through fall.
Flower Color: Red, orange, pink, yellow, white, and purple.
Plant Size: 1 to 4 feet tall.

Choose disease-resistant zinnia varieties and provide good air circulation to prevent powdery mildew, which these beauties can attract.

17. Marigolds

Some lovely orange marigold flowers growing next to some tasty cucumbers.

Marigolds pack a one-two punch with their pungent scent that repels nematodes and harmful insects, while their bright yellowish-orange flowers attract beneficial bugs like ladybugs and lacewings. French marigolds are particularly effective at naturally improving soil quality.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Late spring to frost.
Flower Color: Yellow, orange, and red.
Plant Size: Around 6 inches to 3 feet tall.

Plant French marigolds directly in tomato rows where their roots release compounds that deter harmful nematodes.

18. Cosmos

Beautiful pink or purple cosmos flowers growing in the backyard garden.

Cosmos dance on thin stems with daisy-like flowers in pink, white, and orange, blooming non-stop from summer until frost while attracting clouds of beneficial insects. They self-seed enthusiastically, ensuring that next year’s pest control is already in place.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Early summer to frost.
Flower Color: Pink, white, red, orange, and yellow.
Plant Size: 1 to 6 feet tall.

These Mexican natives bloom better in poor soil – too much fertilizer creates lush leaves but fewer flowers.

19. Mint

Green healthy mint plant flowering in the garden.

Mint might try to take over your garden, but its aromatic leaves deter many insects, while the small purple or white flower spikes attract bees and ladybugs. Plant it in containers to keep it contained while still enjoying its pest-repelling benefits.

USDA Grow Zone: 3 to 11.
Bloom Time: Late spring to summer.
Flower Color: Purple, pink, or white.
Plant Size: 1 or 2 feet tall and spreads vigorously.

Contain catmint’s wandering ways by planting in buried pots or dedicated raised beds to prevent a garden takeover.

20. Coreopsis

Lovely wicker basket stuffed with red cherry tomatoes next to some colorful coreopsis flowers.

Coreopsis produces cheerful yellow daisy-like flowers that attract parasitic wasps and lacewings – the tiny bodyguards that hunt down aphids, caterpillars, and other vegetable villains. This native perennial blooms for months with minimal care.

USDA Grow Zone: 4 to 9.
Bloom Time: Early summer to fall.
Flower Color: Yellow, pink, red, or orange.
Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet tall.

Mass plant coreopsis for a prairie-style look, or use single plants as cheerful punctuation marks throughout mixed borders.

21. Butterfly Bush

A beautiful butterfly bush blooming in the garden with thick pink flowers.

Butterfly Bush creates fountain-like shrubs covered in fragrant purple, pink, or white flower clusters that serve as magnets for butterflies, drawing these beautiful pollinators from across the neighborhood. Just deadhead spent blooms to prevent unwanted spreading.

USDA Grow Zone: 5 to 9.
Bloom Time: Summer to early fall.
Flower Color: Purple, pink, white, and yellow.
Plant Size: 4 to 10 feet tall.

Position the butterfly bush near a window where you can watch the butterfly parade while enjoying morning coffee or afternoon tea.

22. Chives

Lovely purple or pinkish chive plants blooming in the garden.

Chives offer the best of both worlds with their purple pom-pom flowers that bees adore and their onion-scented foliage that aphids hate. Snip the leaves for cooking and let some flowers bloom for garden benefits.

USDA Grow Zone: 3 to 9.
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer.
Flower Color: Lavender to purple.
Plant Size: 12 to 18 inches tall.

Snip chive leaves like grass throughout the growing season, but let some flowers bloom to ensure next year’s pest protection.

23. Borage

Beautiful blue or purple borage flowers growing in the garden.

Borage sports star-shaped blue flowers (occasionally pink or white) that taste like cucumber and attract beneficial insects, while its fuzzy leaves deter cabbage worms and tomato hornworms. This self-seeding annual appears wherever it’s needed most, like a garden guardian angel.

USDA Grow Zone: 2 to 11 (grown as annuals).
Bloom Time: Late spring to fall.
Flower Color: Blue, occasionally pink or white.
Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet tall.

Direct sow seeds borage where you want them to grow, as borage’s deep taproot doesn’t appreciate transplanting.

Conclusion

Yummy autumn veggies harvested in the garden with beautiful rudbeckia flowers.

With these 23 flowering allies in your corner, you’ll never look at your vegetable garden the same way again! Plant a few, plant them all, or mix and match based on your garden’s specific needs. But whatever you do, don’t let another growing season pass without enlisting these hardworking beauties. Your vegetables (and your taste buds) will thank you for the upgrade!

What about you?

Are you going to grow a vegetable garden this year?
Will you grow these flowers to help deter pests?
Or are you more interested in growing flowers to attract bees?

Thanks for reading.

Have a great day!