One of the most common pieces of advice I give out is to plant flowers in your vegetable garden. Blooming flowers are a big draw to many beneficial insects, including pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, and predators and parasitoids like the tiny wasps who help to keep pest insects under control in your garden. Plus, flowers are pretty, you can cut them to bring inside, many of them smell nice; they are just pleasant to be around.

To attract a good range of beneficials, it’s best to have something blooming in or around your garden all season long, and a wide range of flower types and sizes is also good. From giant sunflowers to tiny forget-me-not or alyssum, if you see bees on it, it’s good to have around. But sometimes we forget that herbs are also flowering plants—we plant them for a burst of flavor in the kitchen, but don’t consider their other qualities, including as a source of nectar for flying insects. Some herbs have flowers that are great in size and shape for butterflies to visit, many attract bees, and those with the tiniest flowers bring in those useful little wasps. So when you’re planning what flowers to plant in your garden, consider adding more culinary herbs as well, and let them do double duty.