Vegetables Love Flowers: Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty

In this excellent debut, Ziegler, a florist turned organic farmer, introduces readers to the concept of planting flowers alongside vegetables in the garden as a natural way to fight pests. Operating under the principle that “beneficial creatures are attracted to and happy with the continuous supply of new blossoms [and] then share their benefits with the nearby vegetables,” Ziegler argues against the notion that flowers are “a waste of precious space and labor in the vegetable path.” She makes a convincing case for the benefits of companion gardening in a folksy narrative that is replete with personal anecdotes about her own struggles and learning curve. The stunning color photographs, along with detailed seasonal garden designs, offer helpful specifics for the best veggie-flower combinations and ways to cultivate them successfully. She suggests planting snapdragons in the tomato patch to attract bumblebees, explaining that bumblebees help speed the process of tomato pollination. Winter annuals, when planted six to eight weeks before the last expected spring frost, help grow cool-season vegetables and herbs such as onions and parsley. Flower growers and organic farmers alike will come away from this book feeling hopeful and ready to give Ziegler’s method a try. (Mar.)