Flowers in three waves

Filmed April, June and late August. The transition from overwintered perennial flowering plants to annuals in summer. Plus dahlias which have been perennial recently because of mild winters.

I grow a fair few flowers among vegetables, and this is a selection of what is possible here. See how they look and grow among the vegetables in summer. For beauty, and to attract more insects.

Many visitors to the garden from July onwards in particular, adore the colours. Plus the three-dimensional effect. Vegetables are low growing mostly, and a fair few of these flower plants are tall.

Is this companion planting? That depends how you define it. I see flowers as a way to broaden the garden ecology and attract more insects. It's not a precise science and I plant very few particular flowers with specific plants.
The exception is dwarf French marigold 'Tagetes patula' under cover. They complement the tall tomatoes and cucumbers space-wise and visually, also secrete limonene, which deters aphids to some degree.

I posted this video about no dig flowers in 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f00IZ547PxE

00:00 Introduction, mid-spring
00:50 Wallflowers, including brunnera
01:42 Rosemary
01:49 Roses
02:08 Flowers on fruit trees, Concorde pear tree
02:31 Tulips
02:42 Irises, pulmonaria
03:08 Forget-me-nots
03:48 Now summer, end of June
03:56 Cutting back flowers, eg brunnera, pulmonaria
04:27 Another look at the pear tree, and roses
04:41 Sweet Williams
04:51 Catmint
05:43 Salvia jamensis
06:15 Self-seeding plants - African marigolds
06:56 Everbearing strawberries
07:01 Self-sowing foxgloves
07:11 Digitalis
07:24 Achillea
07:42 Eschscholzia, Californian poppy
08:45 8 weeks later in August, frost-tender flowers
1016 Supporting flowers, eg zinnias, sunflowers, sweet peas
10:27 Deadheading sunflowers
11:06 Flowers green from bulbs (not seed)
11:!1 Dahlias
11:38 Salvia patens
11:53 Agapanthus
12:23 Salvia, Love and Wishes
12:42 Flowers that don’t self-sow too much – dwarf marigolds and flax linaria
13:02 Cosmos and eschscholzia - hoeing and cutting off
13:37 Leonotis nepetifolia

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