Wildflowers are best known for growing in sprawling meadows, woodlands and wetlands, but they can be easily grown in the garden too. While isolated pots and flowerbeds are the most common places to sow these diverse seeds, the bright blooms will flourish almost anywhere in your green space. So can you really plant them with homegrown crops? Express.co.uk spoke to the experts at Seedball and Homebase who shared their top tips for companion planting, and why combining wildflowers with fruit and vegetables is “hugely beneficial” for your garden.
Summer is one of the most crucial seasons for gardeners, with plenty of homegrown crops ready to be sown, planted and harvested.
While filling planters and pots with fruit, vegetables and herbs is something many of us look forward to in the warmer months, adding flowers into the mix is often overlooked.
According to the expert team at Homebase, planting certain flowers and plants among fresh produce can be “hugely beneficial” for growing and protecting your crops.
So what are the key benefits of sowing wildflowers in your vegetable garden?
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Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Dr Ana Attlee from Seedball said: “Some wildflowers are edible and could easily be sown amongst salad and herbs in a planter.
“As a bonus, their pollinator-attracting powers can help increase yields and encourage beneficial insects which prey on those which may harm your veggies.”
This stunning combination is both easy on the eye and beneficial for your green space, but the wider advantages of combining wildflowers with tasty produce extend far beyond a single pot or planter.
According to the National Trust, sowing diverse flower-seed mix into garden soil is just a small step in the wider task of “reversing the UK’s decline in nature”.
What are the best fruit, vegetable and flower combinations to try?
Wild seed mixes or seed balls are the easiest way to sow a diverse range of flowers in your garden, but there are also a few ‘winning’ varieties which can be grown individually.
Dr Atlee said: “Our foragers mix gives a great insight into what works well with others whilst also being edible.
“Primroses, Red Clover, Pignut and Lady’s Smock alongside Wild Garlic and Shepherds Purse are a great addition to a vegetable patch, alongside Borage and Cornflower whose blooms are edible.”
The team at Homebase also recommended:
- Marigolds – these can aid the growth of basil and help to repel beetles
- Nasturtiums – to attract predatory insects which kill plant-eating aphids and protect your herbs
It’s not just wildflowers that can be sown alongside homegrown food either. In fact, there are plenty of salads and herbs that will encourage a healthy, high-yield crop.
Dr Atlee said: “As for the salads and veggies, chives are good, as are cut and come again salad leaves, such as mizuna, rocket, kale, mustard greens and cress.
“If the planter is deep enough a few finely sown rainbow carrots could be fun too!”
According to Homebase, the best combinations of crops and herbs include:
- Basil with aubergines, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers
- Chives with tomatoes and carrots
- Parsley with tomatoes and corn
- Mint with tomatoes, peas, carrots and beetroot
- Thyme with strawberries, brassicas and potatoes
- Oregano with tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins
How to plant wildflowers in a vegetable patch
When it comes to filling up your planter with a mixture of wild blooms and fruiting plants, there are a few ways to do it.
Plant in rows
For a neat display, you can either plant a row of vegetables followed by a row of flowers, or interspace them within the same row.
There are endless planting patterns you can try here, such as using flowers to break up sweet and savoury crops, or even mild and spicy varieties.
Create a border
For pots or smaller planters, a border of wildflowers will work best.
Simply sow the flower seeds around the edge of the site to form a border around the soil bed where the crops will grow.
Water well to keep the flowers, fruits and vegetables thriving all summer.