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Flowers & Herbs,  Getting Started,  Grow Guides,  Pollinators & Wildlife

7 Best Easy Annual Companion Flowers to Grow from Seed

In my humble opinion, no garden is complete without flowers. As much as I love growing food (so much!), flowers bring a delightful pop of color, beauty, and whimsy to any outdoor space. Not to mention, flowers provide food for pollinators and are often times significantly lower maintenance than food crops. No matter your climate, gardening experience, or living situation, consider growing some annual companion flowers this spring! I can guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Read along to learn about our top 7 favorite easy annual flowers to grow from seed. This article will help you become familiar with each one, including their general characteristics, beneficial uses, and some tips for growing them! I’ll also share our favorite varieties of each flower. 


What do these flowers all have in common, you ask? The annual flowers chosen for this list can all be grown in virtually any zone, are easy to start from seed, and also to save seed from – making them both affordable and sustainable! They’re also fairly fuss-free, can be grown in containers, and make excellent companion flowers in a vegetable garden. Last but not least, each of these easy annual flowers serve as food source for wildlife and pollinators including bees, butterflies, birds, moths, and more. We love to grow beneficial flowers that serve many purposes – aside from just looking pretty!  Not to mention, they’re all pretty dang easy to save seed from too.


Without further ado, and in no particular order… 


Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products for your convenience, such as to items on Amazon. Homestead and Chill gains a small commission from purchases made through those links, at no additional cost to you.

An image of a front yard garden littered with flowering perennials and annuals of different shades of purple, pink, orange, yellow, and red. There are various trees throughout the perimeter of the yard with some raised garden beds neatly spaced in one section of the yard, further away, there are designated "islands" of perennial plants nestled amongst gravel and paver lined walkways.


7 EASY ANNUAL FLOWERS TO GROW FROM SEED


1) Calendula ~ Calendula officinalis


It’s hard to choose favorites… but calendula is definitely at the top of my list! Calendula is one of the best all-around flowers to grow because it’s beautiful, boasts a long blooming season, and has SO many wonderful uses.  Sometimes calendula is referred to as “pot marigold” – but don’t confuse it with true marigolds, such as french marigolds! Marigolds are on this list of easy annual flowers too, but are distinctly different and not nearly as medicinal in nature.


Benefits of Calendula in the Garden

Calendula flowers attract bees and butterflies, and are also said to repel pest insects. Furthermore, its roots form beneficial associations with microbes and fungi in the soil, enhancing the invaluable “soil food web”.

Speaking of food, did you know that calendula is technically an herb? It sure is, and a highly medicinal and edible one at that! Therefore, calendula has many wonderful uses beyond the garden – and can be used in the kitchen, as natural medicine, or in homemade skin care products. For example, we make calendula-infused oil that I use as a daily facial moisturizer that can help heal acne, rashes, burns, psoriasis, eczema and more. According to the Chestnut School of Herbs, calendula tea can ease reflux, sore throats, heartburn, and IBS.


Dried calendula flowers are shown, some are in a glass mason jar that is in the background, a mug has a tea strainer sitting in it with loose dried calendula flowers inside it ready to be steeped in hot water, and there are a few flowers scattered around the base of the mug. These are first on the list of easy annual flowers!


Quick Tips on Growing Calendula

Calendula seeds can be directly-sown outdoors after your last spring frost. Or, you can get a head start and sow calendula seeds in containers indoors (like we do!) up to 6-8 weeks before your last frost. Once they’re outside, calendula are fast-growing and will often self-seed. That means they’ll come back as volunteers year after year. Depending on the variety, the plants may stay short and compact or become a decently-sized little shrub. 

Calendula are not picky about soil type, but they do prefer full sun. A partly shady location is also great in places with exceptionally hot summer climates. Expect prolific blooms from calendula in spring through fall. In places with mild winters, calendula can be grown year-round! Don’t be shy about harvesting the flowers. The more you take, the more they’ll bloom. Collect and save seeds from spent flower heads that are allowed to fully dry on the plant.

Calendula is so wonderful that I wrote an entire article dedicated to it. Check it out to learn more! “All About Calendula: How to Grow, Harvest, Dry & Use Calendula Flowers”


Our Favorite Calendula Varieties

Pacific Beauty, Strawberry Blonde, Pink Surprise, Resina, Oopsy Daisy, & Zeolights


A u-shaped garden bed butted up to the backside of a house is full of vegetables of many types as well as a few annual calendula flowers growing in the beds themselves and out of the ground at the base of the garden beds. The blooms are shades of orange, red, and pink. There are also four chickens standing around the wall of annual flowers that are growing, hoping they could get closer to the vegetables growing with the beds themselves.
A wicker basket full of freshly harvested calendula flowers. They range in color from orange, to red, to pink, to yellow, and various shades of all of the colors mentioned.


2) Sunflowers ~ Helianthus


I mean, who doesn’t love sunflowers? The big cheery flowers always bring a smile to my face. In addition to the classic huge single-headed yellow flower, sunflowers come in a wide array of sizes, shapes, and colors. Personally, I am a sucker for multi-headed branching sunflowers. They provide an extended season of beautiful blooms and even more seeds per plant. Though we plant some single-stem types too!


Benefits of Sunflowers in the Garden

With their wide open flower structure, sunflowers provide easily-accessible pollen that bees go ga-ga for. That is, unless you choose, pollen-less varieties of sunflowers – which do exist. They also are a great source of seeds and nourishment for wild birds. Our spoiled chickens (wild, in a different way…) enjoy hours of entertainment pecking at spent sunflower heads near the end of summer. 

Therefore, if you’re interested in supporting wildlife in your garden space, sunflowers are on the must-grow list! Read more about becoming a certified wildlife habitat here. Wildlife aside, certain sunflower varieties produce fat seeds that are ideal for human consumption too, like these “Snack Seed” or Mammoth varieties.


A multi headed yellow to orange hue sunflower is shown. It has large, dark green leaves and there are at least six sunflower heads at the top of the plant, the sun is shining through, right behind the largest flower.


Quick Tips on Growing Sunflower

True to their name, sunflowers prefer to be planted in a location that receives full sun. Did you know the face of a sunflower actually moves throughout the day to follow the path of the sun? It is called heliotropism. Rad, right? So keep that in mind when you choose your planting location – they may turn their backs on you! 

To start sunflowers seeds, you can either do so directly outside after the last spring frost, or get an early start indoors a few weeks prior. If you choose the latter, be sure to provide ample light so the seedlings don’t get too leggy and topple. They’re tall enough on their own already! Rightly so, some sunflowers may require staking for support as they grow. Most varieties are drought tolerant, so don’t overdo the water!

Seed-save from spent dry flowers at the end of the season. Sunflower seeds are ready for harvest when the plant foliage dies back, flower petals fade away, and the seeds look plump. I’ll share an article about how to soak and roast seeds for human snacks soon!


Our Favorite Sunflower Varieties

Goldy Double, Autumn Beauty, Mammoth, Snack Seed, Evening Colors, Rouge Royal, Lemon Queen, & Velvet Queen. Or, check out this awesome variety pack of over 15 different sunflower types, including many of our favorites! While they’re not a true sunflower, Mexican Sunflowers are stunning – and a pollinator magnet!


Orange-yellow hued sunflowers are shown growing amongst a loquat tree. There is a Monarch butterfly hanging out on the flower which is the focus of the image.
Dried sunflower heads sit amongst a wooden back drop. A hand is holding up the largest head, highlighting that particular sunflowers seed size.


3) Zinnia


Zinnias are gorgeous daisy-like pouf balls of vibrant color. They’re another all-around favorite on this little homestead! Some zinnias grow on smaller, compact plants while others can reach several feet in height. They come in various shades of pink, red, purple, yellow, and even lime green. 


Benefits of Zinnia in the Garden

The tall erect stems make zinnia an excellent cut flower, though we usually leave them in the garden for the bees and other pollinators to enjoy. Zinnia are an absolute favorite food source for our monarch butterflies. And when my monarchs are happy, I am happy! Did you know we are a certified monarch waystation and “raise” monarchs each summer? Learn more about attracting and responsibly raising monarch butterflies here.


A red zinnia plant is the focus of the image, there are at least ten different blooms coming off of the same plant and there are two Monarch butterflies enjoying the nectar on two of the flowers. There are golden zinnia in the background along with salvia, sage, and marigold. Two of them being easy annual flowers.


Quick Tips on Growing Zinnia

It is usually recommended to direct-sow zinnia seeds outside after the last frost, as they’re said to not tolerate transplanting well. However, we often start them indoors with no issues. Just be sure to transplant them out when they’re still fairly small (after being properly hardened off) and before they become root bound in the slightest.

Zinnias like full sun, but will tolerate a little shade. They’re slightly more particular about their soil than other flowers on this list. Plant zinnias in soil that is rich with compost, but is still well-draining. One bummer about growing zinnias is their susceptibility to powdery mildew, which is rampant here. However, using a potassium bicarbonate treatment just once early in the season keeps the powdery mildew at bay for months – or prevents it all together!


Our Favorite Zinnia Varieties

Giant Coral, Giant Yellow, California Giant (various colors), Benary’s Giant blend, Queen Lime, Giant Purple, Senora (salmon). For smaller spaces, try these adorable Dwarf zinnia or compact and colorful Aztec sunset.


Pink salmon hued zinnias are growing in front of an espaliered apple tree. Some of the blooms are starting to age and wilt, while one is still a compact green bud which will flower within a few days. There are various potted plants around on the ground in the area.


4) Marigolds ~ Tagetes


Marigolds are probably one of the easiest annual flowers to grow, ever! And while they may not be outright show-stoppers like some sunflowers or zinnia, what they lack in beauty they more than make up for in utility. Don’t get me wrong! I think marigolds are very pretty, and definitely enjoy the bright pops of orange and red blooms against their dense dark green foliage sprinkled throughout the garden. 


Benefits of Marigolds in the Garden

Marigolds are popular companion flowers, planted among vegetables in garden beds or close nearby. They attract beneficial insects like butterflies, ladybugs, hoverflies and parasitic wasps. Furthermore, they’re said to deter some pest insects such as Mexican bean beetles.

Classic French marigolds in particular are known to repel or stop root knot nematodes, a soil-dwelling parasite that feeds on the healthy root system of plants. To take advantage of that benefit, be sure to keep the marigold roots in place – using a “no till” method to cut the plant out (rather than yanking it out) at the end of the season.  

Did you know that chickens love to eat marigolds? Our girls love the greens, and often help us “prune” unruly marigold plants that hang over the side of the garden bed. When chickens are fed bright orange marigold flowers, their egg yolks turn an even deeper orange hue. I often see butterflies snacking on marigolds too! The blossoms are edible for humans as well, and bring a beautiful pop of color to salads. 


A raised garden bed is shown with basil shown as the focal point. There are also eggplant and tomato plants growing in the bed while a couple marigold plants are growing amongst them all. Marigolds are easy annual flowers that help repel root knot nematodes.
Sparky French marigolds interplanted with basil, eggplant, and tomatoes.


Quick Tips on Growing Marigolds

Like the other easy annual flowers on this list, you can either sow marigold seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost, or directly outside thereafter. Once they’re established in your garden, marigolds will likely self-seed and return as volunteers. If and when companion marigold plants start to crowd their neighbors, give them a good pruning! They don’t mind, and the greens are a great addition to compost.

Marigolds prefer full sun and warm temperatures to bloom most prolifically.  However, we have grown them in partial-shade – no problem! Dead-heading spent blooms will also encourage more. They’re not picky about their soil type, and are suitable for containers. Maintain the soil moist, but not soggy.


Our Favorite Marigold Varieties

Tangerine Gem, French Blend, Naughty Marietta French, Red French, Crackerjack & Red Gem



Raised garden beds are shown at the end of summer once everything was left to run wild. There are tomato plants, kale, and peppers. Though annual flowers are the plants that are taking over, marigolds, zinnia, and borage are all growing large with an immense amount of flowers taking over the image. The sun is shining in from the background, partially illuminating some of the image.
This photo was taken near the end of summer, when we pretty much just let everything run wild – marigolds included! They were previously tucked between squash plants in the bed to the left, which were done and gone by August. So we allowed the marigolds to spread, including their root-knot nematode fighting roots.


5) Cosmos


These dainty daisy-like flowers sit atop long slender stems. I find cosmos so whimsical, giving off a classic cottage garden vibe. While the most common cosmos varieties come in hues of pink and purple, they can be found in shades of yellow, orange, red, and even chocolate too!


Benefits of Cosmos in the Garden

Cosmos attract pollinators including birds, bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. On the other hand, they seem to have little-to-no pest issues! Definitely a bonus. The flower petals are edible and can be used as a playful garnish in drinks, salads, and more. Cosmos boast a long blooming season, and can also be used as cut flowers.  



A close up image of light pink cosmos flowers on top of long slender stems, with a garden courtyard and chairs blurred in the background. The pink petals are delicate while the inside of the flower looks fuzzy and covered in pollen.
Beautiful cheerful cosmos. Birds love their seeds!


Quick Tips on Growing Cosmos

Cosmos sprout readily and are easy to direct-sow outdoors. Simply scatter seeds on bare soil in springtime after the danger of frost has passed. You can also start them indoors the weeks prior. 

Cosmos are known to survive in even the poorest soil conditions, as long as it has good drainage. This makes them a perfect “filler” in any oddball place, with little-to-no preparation or effort required! In fact, it is recommended to avoid fertilizer altogether, as it can result in a lot of greenery but not many blooms. Cosmos are drought-tolerant and grow well in containers.

While they aren’t particular about their soil, Cosmos do prefer warm, dry weather and plenty of sunshine. In extremely hot climates, choose a location with partial shade. Depending on the variety and height your plants reach, cosmos may need staking or other support to prevent the plants from flopping over. Deadhead them regularly to promote more blooms (and to collect seeds or prevent them from re-seeding quite as much, which they’ll do)!


Our Favorite Cosmos Varieties

We love this Scatter Mix, Sensation Blend, Candy Stripe, and the stunning Seashell varieties


Aren’t these tubular Seashell cosmos petals just to die for?!


6) Borage ~ Borago


If you aren’t familiar with borage yet, prepare to be impressed! Or maybe I should say cautiously intrigued… Because while borage has some awesome benefits, they’re almost too easy to grow. Borage is borderline invasive given how intensely it spreads its seeds and volunteers year-after-year. Hey, we don’t mind! Maybe you won’t either.


Benefits of Borage in the Garden

Borage is another multiuse all-star. The petite purple blue flowers are absolute bee magnets. They’re also beautiful, and edible! The taste of borage flowers is reminiscent of cucumber, making them a significantly more tasty addition to salads and beverages than say… earthy calendula or marigold petals. (No offense, you two!) 

Beyond the flowers, borage greens are magnificent in their own right. Borage is a member of a group of plants dubbed “dynamic accumulators”, which also includes comfrey, yarrow, stinging nettle, chickweed, miner’s lettuce, horsetail, and others.

Borage and other dynamic accumulators have the ability to easily take up nutrients and minerals from the soil, and then store them in highly bioavailable forms and concentrations in their leaves. Those leaves can then be added as a nutrient-rich addition to compost, used as mulch, or turned into botanical tea to fertilize plants. We routinely mulch fruit trees and special container plants with borage leaves. (Note that borage leaves are also “edible” but contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are known to be mildly toxic.)


A bee is shown mid flight on its way to a borage flower that is only an inch away. Some of the plants green leaves are visible below while there are some pre flowers that have yet to open which are pink before they turn bluish purple once opened.


Quick Tips on Growing Borage

Borage grows quickly, so start it indoors only 3-4 weeks before your last frost date. You may also directly sow seeds outdoors after the danger of frost has passed. Borage will be happy in either sun or partial shade, though it may become even more tall in shady locations as it stretches for the sun. It is not picky about soil type, and will even pop up in our gravel or between pavers.

As I already warned, borage will re-seed and spread quite prolifically. Thankfully, it doesn’t run underground, and unwanted volunteer seedlings are easy to pluck and remove. Again, those guys will make great mulch and compost – especially if you pull them before the plant blooms (reducing further re-seeding). One way to reduce the spread is to remove borage flowers before they go to seed and drop. The same goes for all of the flowers on this list. 


Our Favorite Borage Variety

That’s easy, because there is only one type of borage: borago officinalis.


A large borage plant is shown taking up the corner of a raised garden bed. There are a lot of leaves which make up a lot of plant material with most of the flowers sitting atop the plant. The scene shows many other flowering annuals around the area as well such as marigold, zinnia, and calendula. There are also tomatoes, green beans, and squash as well as many other perennial plants, shrubs, and trees.
Borage in the middle right, in need of a hair cut. Also shown are calendula, marigolds, and a few zinnia.


7) Nasturtium ~ Tropaeolum


Oh you nasty little things you… Actually, there is nothing nasty about Nasturtiums! I just love calling them “nasties” for some reason. Nasturtiums are another super-easy companion flower that I can’t imagine our garden without. Their lush cascading greenery dotted with colorful flowers creates an incredibly beautiful and dramatic effect. 


Benefits of Nasturtium in the Garden

Here is another flower with more uses than you may imagine! Nasturtiums are an awesome companion flower. They serve as a “trap crop”, attracting pest insects such as aphids and cabbage worms to their foliage rather than your veggies. Ours never become so infested to prevent them from being beautiful and thriving. However, if your trap works a little too well, I suggest removing aphid or caterpillar-infested leaves or sections of the plant to prevent pest colonization in your garden. 

Bees enjoy nasturtium flowers immensely. I once read that hummingbirds were also attracted to nasturtiums but didn’t really believe it, until we saw some dining on the nasties in our yard! 

Finally, did you know that nasturtiums are edible? Both the flowers and tender leaves have a peppery, zesty flavor – reminiscent of arugula. Try adding both to salads! When they’re still young, fresh and green, nasturtium seed pods are also edible. Referred to as “poor man’s capers”, some gardeners and foragers like to pickle or ferment them. We tried that once. Unlike the leaves and flowers, I won’t readily recommend these. Despite soaking and repeatedly rinsing them for days before starting the lacto-fermentation process, the sulfur odor was too overpowering for us to enjoy them. Truth be told, they smelled like egg farts in a jar! I think we’ll stick to fermenting radishes, dilly beans, and hot pepper sauce instead.


A hand is holding various nasturtium flowers, the colors range from pink to yellow to red and pink. The background shows the nasturtium plants themselves as well as a leaf from an artichoke plant.


Quick Tips on Growing Nasturtiums

These guys prefer to be directly-sown, though starting indoors is possible too. I recommend to direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost. Plant once, and they’ll be back! Nasturtiums are another notorious self-seeding volunteer, but one we welcome with open arms. 

Nasturtiums are perhaps the most shade-tolerant annual flower on this list. They will grow just about anywhere, but flower the most when they receive at least 6 hours of sun. On the other hand, they may look a bit haggard in full sun with extreme heat, so opt for a location with afternoon shade in the hottest climates. Provide low to moderate water in well-draining soil. 

Some nasturtium varieties grow into compact bushes, while others sprawl a bit more. Vining nasturtiums can be trained up arches and trellises, or allowed to spill over the side of a raised bed for a beautiful cascade effect. We grow a little of each!


Our Favorite Nasturtium Varieties

Hummingbird Aloha Mix, Tall Trailing Mix, Peach Melba, Alaska Mix, & Dwarf Jewel


Nasturtium plants are shown growing along a gravel pathway, there roots are in the ground in the perimeter of the yard, yet they are a trellising or cascading nasturtium so they easily spread out. The flowers range in color from burgundy to yellow and gold.


8) Bachelor Buttons


EDIT – I had to come back and update this article to add an 8th flower to the list: Bachelor Buttons. Also known as cornflower, stunning blue Bachelor Buttons have quickly become one of my favorite annual flowers in the past few years. They’re easy to grow from seed, readily re-seed… and the birds love the seeds too! The Lesser goldfinches at our new homestead simply can’t stay off of them – and we’re happy to share! Bees love them as well.

Classic Bachelor Buttons are bright blue (a magnificent and unique addition to the garden color palette) though they also come in lavender, light pink, and other shades of purple-blue. Many Bachelor Buttons varieties grow quite tall and will need a stake, small cage, or other support to prevent the plants from from toppling. The tall erect stems make beautiful cut flowers, and also retain their gorgeous color when dried.


Our favorite Bachelor Buttons (cornflower) varieties

Blue Boy, Polka dot mix (blue, pink, white and lavender), and Black Magic


A female Lesser Goldfinch enjoying a snack of Bachelor Buttons seeds.
Bachelor buttons on the left, zinnia on the right, sunnies and marigolds in the distance.


That sums up our favorite easy annual companion flowers!


Other Flowers


Now of course, there is a whole plethora of other amazing flowers you could (or should) be growing! Some of our favorites include lavender, echinacea, salvia, yarrow, scabiosa, flowering herbs like oregano, bee balm, sage, anise hyssop and more!  I love all of them just as much as the easy annual flowers included on this list. However, they may not be quite as quick and simple to start from seed, may be more particular about climate and care, or are commonly grown as perennials.

To see a full list of our favorite flowers, check out: The Top 23 Plants for Pollinators: Attract Bees, Butterflies & Hummingbirds.


A close up image of a blue bachelor's button flower shown in the full sun. In the background there are yellow yarrow, scabiosa, lavender, salvia, sage, marigold, calendula, and oregano.


In closing, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed learning about what we consider the best easy annual companion flowers to grow. I also hope you learned something new, and perhaps were introduced to a soon-to-be staple variety in your garden. To learn more about companion planting in general, see: “Companion Planting 101” – which also includes a companion planting chart!

Did I miss any of your top easy annual flowers? Let me know in the comments below! As always, feel free to ask questions and please spread the flower power by sharing this article.


DeannaCat signature, keep on growing

19 Comments

  • Rachel Clayson

    Do you happen to have a post on the “potassium bicarbonate treatment “? I’m in Central California and also have to deal with powdery mildew. I would love a how to!

  • Mariangela

    Re-reading this updated post to get a refresh before planting for this season. I prescriptively used your companion planting chart last year for my 1st garden ever and the companion plants from your list (French marigold, nasturtium, sunflowers, borage, cosmos, zinnia, calendula) meant that I had zero bugs on my 20+ tomato varieties in raised beds! I used all the flowers in our tomato and fruit salds all summer long – stunning and delicious! The birds ate many of the cornflower seeds that I direct seeded (among others) so I’ll have to take a few more precautions but I direct seeded most of the flowers with no issues. The borage definitely had a life of its own and was almost too much interplanted with my corn but it is still thriving in the places I let it be with our continued weeks of frost in Sonoma! Your tips will help me refine my technique for this year – super excited – thank you!

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      It’s so great to hear you had such success growing tomatoes amongst many different flower varieties! That’s exactly how we do it although we mix in some basil planted amongst the tomatoes as well. Birds definitely love cornflower, cosmos, and sunflower seeds, thankfully most of them leave the rest of our garden alone. Good luck planning your garden this summer and hopefully you have bountiful harvests of tomatoes once again, have fun growing!

  • Julie from Denver

    How excited I was to see that all the flower varieties you recommended…I planted in my yard last year and will do the same this season!!!

    Then I remembered the many hours of articles I’ve read of yours and realized…you dingbat Julie, you learned this from DeannaCat LOL Thank you for sharing your knowledge, teaching me new tricks and helping me create a beautiful garden full of veggies, herbs, flower and love!

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      Hi Julie, it’s so great to hear you have been able to create a beautiful garden space to enjoy! Thank you so much for your support and we are glad to hear we have helped a little along the way, good luck to another great growing season and have fun in the garden!

  • Cindi Brown

    I’m a beekeeper and plant for my girls. The list of flowers you have mentioned in your article are all part of my gardens. I also save seeds. The borage is truely a bee magnet. With the drought again this year, I will not have as many flowers as we have water saving mandates and not allowed to use drip. We are in Sonoma County, California and get very hot summers. Thinking of planting more flowering succulents. What are your thoughts on the varieties that will attract the bees, butterflys and hummingbirds?

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      Hi Cindi, that is too bad to hear you can’t use drip irrigation as it is considered a water-saving method. We really like growing aloe vera and it produces tall flowering spikes once or twice a year, autumn joy sedum are another type of succulent that produce many flowers. We enjoy growing succulents but we haven’t found their flowers to be as profuse compared to other plant varieties. Are you growing any salvia plants and although they aren’t succulents, many of them are very drought tolerant and should be able to take the summer heat. We have found that bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all enjoy the various salvias we have grown. Lavender is another plant that is drought tolerant, does well in the heat, and bees especially enjoy their flowers. We also have another article that may give you some more ideas on what to plant: Top 23 Plants for Pollinators: Attract Bees, Butterflies, & Hummingbirds!, although you will have to see which plants would work best for your situation and climate. Hope that helps and good luck!

  • Mariangela

    Taking notes and copying all your amazing ideas!! Hope we can be a fraction as successful as you are with your garden!

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      Thanks Mariangela, we have faith in you. A little love and attention will go a long way towards creating a great garden. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

  • Linda

    Your garden is spectacular! I love everything about it and your articles. I just came across it and will definitely keep reading. Thank you so much.

  • Kathy Tarazoff

    Your blog is amazing. All the time you must spend writing it and you don’t charge a thing! And your garden is beautiful. I live in New Mexico high desert but I hope your advice can apply here. I got my daughter to follow you as well. She is a beginning gardener in Walnut Creek CA which is probably similar to you. Thank you for all your information about gardens and what you can do with all the plants grow.

  • Joni

    Hi Deanna!

    Great article. I always love whatever you write!
    One of my very favorite flowers to grow is the beautiful Tithonia, aka Mexican Sundance. I also love, love, love Cleome! Alongside Comos, these three are stunners!

    • DeannaCat

      Joni – Thanks for the kind words and comment, and the great flower suggestions! I will have to check out those other two, since I’m not as familiar with them. Have a good day!

    • Linda

      Loved this article. You made morning and my day. I wished I found this 4 days ago my head was confessed about the vegetables to be planted with the right one. I will enjoy you sight forever. Thank you very much. Denna Cat

    • Sam

      Thank you for sharing your plethora of gardening knowledge. Your tips are So So helpful as it is very easy for the newbies to get overwhelmed!!
      So organized and well planned – but Your spicy approach to gardening – keeps it fun.

      Very much Appreciated,
      Sam

  • Lacey Daniels

    I picked up a sad looking yellow calendula from the reject shelf at Lowes last year. It is now thriving and has been giving us blooms all winter long (zone 10)! I’m excited to try the strawberry blonde variety this year, seedlings already popping up indoors!

  • Liz

    I keep trying to grow calendula but it never grows. I’m in Hawai’i, zone 12. I’ve tried shade, partial shade, different soils … ugh. I love calendula and really want to grow it. Any suggestions? I don’t even get a sprout from them. 🙁

    • DeannaCat

      Hi Liz! Have you tried starting the seeds in containers first, and then putting them outside? After you get some decent little seedlings, I bet they’d do best with morning sun and afternoon shade in your climate. Keeping them in a container with excellent-draining soil may help make up for your frequent rain and keep them less soggy? I hope that helps!

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