Flowers for companion planting

Companion planting means growing different species of plants together for the benefit of one or both. Mixing flowers in amongst your vegetables has many benefits, as well as looking attractive. Recent research has shown that mixed planting can limit damage from pests such as cabbage-root fly simply by reducing the chance of a pest landing on a suitable host. The flowers we have chosen are all attractive to beneficial insects, bees or butterflies. Leave some of your coriander or fennel to go to seed as well: studies have shown that fennel, blooming from July to September, can attract around 500 different species of insect.