The English Garden – September 2019

34 THE ENGLISH GARDEN SEPTEMBER 2019

COMPANION Planting

Advice on producing organic crops, from gardener Gail Bridges

Grow simple species

and pollinator-pulling

flowers among fruit and

vegetables to attract

beneficial insects. Borage,

Echium vulgare ‘Blue

Bedder’, Nepeta ‘Six Hills

Giant’ and Hyssop ocinalis

are our favourites.

Include dual-purpose,

insect-friendly flowers

for cutting, such as

globe artichoke, Cynara

cardunculus, Echinops

bannaticus ‘Albus’,

eryngium, dahlia,

helianthus and phlox.

Use strongly scented or

pungent plants, to distract

pests and create a physical

barrier from edible targets.

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare,

distracts low-flying carrot

fly, while alliums, calendula

and chives distract aphids

from lettuce and broccoli.

Plant pest-specific

plant deterrents. Key

combinations include:

slug-repelling hyssop with

lettuces; summer savory,

Satureja hortensis, with

broad beans to deter black

bean aphids; hoverfly-

attracting pot marigolds

(Calendula ocinalis),

with kale to prevent

outbreaks of aphids;

and nasturtiums with

tomatoes and cucumbers

to deter whitefly.

Plant sacrificial plants

around sacred plants.

For example, basil distracts

whitefly from tomatoes,

radishes encourage root

fly away from cabbage,

and you could also allow

a few lettuces to bolt

to distract pests from

succeeding crops. ■

Below Using flowers
such as single dahlias,
penstemon and ‘Blue
Bedder’ echiums helps
lure pollinators to the
flowers of crops.
Bottom Hyssop pokes
out between rows of
slug-free lettuces.