Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?

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lmcnabb

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« on: September 15, 2006, 10:58 »
Hello again - thanks for all your help and replies re tomatoes and artichokes.

I have another question - I have been reading a little about companion planting but I would like to know what flowers I could put in my vege garden(maybe as a border or just in odd spots) to attract bees and any other pollinating insects.

My vege plot is not in our main garden and not really near any other flowering plants.  I read somewhere that thyme was a good way of attracting bees and I have thyme in my small herb plot in the main garden - problem is that it is flowering now at the beginning if spring (I am in New Zealand) so won't be of much use in late spring and summer  

Any suggestions would be welcome - thanks in advance.

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Heather_S

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2006, 11:14 »
Marigolds (pot, french or african), nasturiums... Anything really but pot marigold and nasturiums are my picks because they're edible flowers. Nasturiums are especially nice and spicy/peppery in flavour. Pot Marigold doesn't taste of much if you're just eating the petals but they're pretty on cakes or apparently the petals can be used to colour food like saffron. I tried it on some rice but you must need a large amount of petals, I think  :?

Bee Balm/ Monarda / Bergamont is also an obvious bee attractor. Leaves can be dried and used like earl grey tea (but the flavour in real earl grey comes from the citrus tree Bergamont not this plant).
wistfully hoping to one day be mostly organic gardener in North London.

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GrannieAnnie

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2006, 16:44 »
comfrey and Buddleia!

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GrannieAnnie

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2006, 16:44 »
Mind you, the dreaded butterflies like Buddleia too, so we don't want to encourage them NEARER the veg do we????? lol

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milkman

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2006, 20:47 »
Poached egg plant (limnanthes douglassiii) and phacelia - the former is good for hover flies, the bees absolutely go mad for the latter.
Gardening organically on chalky, stony soil.

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wellingtons

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Plant a herb bed ...
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2006, 21:48 »
... even a tiny one ... mine is like disneyland for bugs!! ...  :lol:

Borage and thyme are good for bees, fennel is alive with hoverflies, feverfew is good too. Lavender brings them in too

I also have a small patch for wild flowers ... well it keeps the blooming weeds at bay.   We have eschscholzia, lots of red poppies, clarkia, scabious, cornflowers ... it's alive with colour and bees ... and only about 6 foot square.

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James

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2006, 07:46 »
Sweet peas.  And you can crop them every day as well.

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silver8

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2006, 11:03 »
Big fan of nasturiums myself. A great value plant in that it flowers all summer until the first frost. The leaves,flowers and pods are all edible. The leaves in particular are great chopped up in salads to give them abit of a kick - similiar to rocket but moreso. Ive also picked some of the pods as they are supposed to be a subsititute for capers. Produces loads of seed so can be used year in and out for free.
The bees love them and so do blackfly which helps keeps them of your other crops. And at the end of the season easy to pull up and produces plenty of soft composting material.All in all great value all round.
I also grow sunflowers on the plot both for interest and to attract bees. I have a small patch of comfy and the bottom of the plot. Cannt say ive found it very attractive but , along with nettles, makes a great feed.

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Annie

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Plants/Flowers to attract insects to vege garden?
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2006, 20:50 »
To the above I`d add oregano/margoram,it`s flowers attract hoverflies,it flowers again if you deadhead,and it is agood tasting herb which needs little attention and can withstand the v.dry weather we`ve had here.


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