[Stratts]

I noticed on a few plots on my allotment that people have some flowers planted too.  I'm guessing this is not just for show and serve a purpose.

What sort of thing do you grow and why?

What can/should I be planting along with my veg to benefit my plot.  Does it make a difference what you are growing?

Cheers

[aelf]

Cut flowers for home - it's a crop, just one you don't eat 

I grow marigolds in amongst my crops as they discourage some pests and look nice.

[mumofstig]

sweet peas on the bean frame to encourage pollination, marigolds and gazania cos they look nice............ooh and borage cos it's such a lovely blue
it is a culinary herb but I've never used it apart from the flowers, which look and taste nice in salad

[arugula]

Of course you could plant edible flowers, such as nasturtium too. Flowers are often planted to attract bees etc, or discourage other insects as aelf said.

[RichardA]

I garden at home but within my veg plots I grow sweet peas - my mother's favourite and used in her's, my wife's and my daughter's wedding flowers. Those and chrysthanths are my hobby bit of the gardening year. Elsewhere anything that says thank you to the bees. My favourite flowers after sweet peas are runner beans.
R

[LilacSandy]

Any single flower to attract the beas or predatory insects. 
Cut flowers save a fortune over the summer months.
Nasturtiums are a magnet for cabbage white butterflys keeping them off your brassicas.
And finally they look pretty.

[monkeywobbler]

Even though it's a herb, can I throw sage into the mix?
I have a hedge of it planted around my greenhouse and since it's flowered it has been covered in bees and hoverflies. I'm going to layer it to make some more because it's fantastic for the pollinators. And the flowers and leaves are edible!
And calendula too actually - the bees love that and it self seeds like crazy. It's such a bright orange too, it really brightens up the allotment.

[Trillium]

I plant calendula, borage and sweet peas in my veg plots, mostly for better pollination by bees of the veg, secondly, the cut flowers of sweet peas and herb tea from the calendula petals. The borage I leave to self seed for next year.

[monkeywobbler]

Trillium - I've not tried calendula tea - what does it taste like?

[Yorkie]

Trillium - I've not tried calendula tea - what does it taste like?

Calendulas 

(Sorry, I'll get me coat ...  )

[lacewing]

I grow sweet peas for pollination and to fill the house with scent, marigolds near brassicas and tomatoes, to deter whitefly and nasturtiums as a host for blackfly. I have a few fragrant roses,  because I love their perfume on a warm summer evening.

[Nige2Plots]

For me it's Sunflowers, Sweet Peas and William. Pansies and Asters. Why? With there difference in height they make a great display!

[Stratts]

Ok thanks next question are there any I can plant now or am I too late for this year?

Ta

[Wombat18]

You're a bit late to start, but you might see trays of marigolds and the like being sold off cheap at supermarkets so you could get a few of those in.  Or you could pick up some budget seeds for things like nasturtiums, if you can get a packet for 49p it won't matter too much if they don't get very far.

I grow salvia (sage) and bergamot on my plot because the bees seem to go mad for them.  Marigolds for whitefly and nasturtium for salads and to attract blackfly.  Other flowers like calendula, stocks and love in the mist and a few dahlias just to add a bit of variety  Also a few sunflowers so the birds have something to nibble over winter. 

I'm also planning a wildflower patch for next year with a wildflower/grass seed mix and  some comfrey for fertiliser purposes.

[heloise]

As we've just taken over a neglected plot we're finding all sorts of flowers appearing, but the best is the huge sage plant which, as others have mentioned, the bees go mad for. We've also got some alkanet with pretty blue flowers and loads of selfseeded sunflowers growing through the muckheap. Oh, and some sweetpeas are growing through/in the hedge.

We've put lavender in near the shed for both us and the bees,  and some rosemary. Ok, so they're herbs, but they're pretty as well as functional  I find marigolds are decimated by slugs though, so will give those a miss.