Even without companion benefits, the vegetable garden is a lovely place to plant flowers intended for cutting. You can snip them as you’re selecting vegetables for dinner. Here are nine of the best flowers to add a new dimension to your vegetable garden. Some borage flowers are pink and some are blue. Light, temperature, and other external conditions can cause this color variation. One theory is the color changes from pink to blue as the flowers age and lose their pollen. Presumably, the blue color tells pollinators the flower is no longer worth their effort. Pulmonaria, which is in the same family, does this with its flowers.

USDA Growing Zones: N/A (annual plant)Color Varieties: Blue, pinkSun Exposure: Full sun to part sunSoil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining

In the garden, calendula is a mixed blessing. It repels some pests, such as asparagus beetles and tomato hornworms. But it also attracts a few others, including aphids. Do not let that deter you. You can use the flower as a trap crop, putting it on the other side of the vegetable garden away from plants that aphids often attack, such as peas.

USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Yellow, orange, pink, creamSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, slightly acidic to neutral, well-draining

Green lacewings are voracious eaters, vacuuming up all sorts of soft-bodied insects, including aphids, scale, and thrips. Thus, they are considered a beneficial insect, and making them at home in your vegetable garden will help to prevent pest problems.

USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Pink, purple, red, yellow, orange, whiteSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, moderate moisture, well-draining

Deer tend to avoid it, along with many insects, including ticks. Of course, having lavender around doesn’t guarantee a tick won’t bite you, but it should cut down on the number of ticks in the area. In addition, moths—including those pesky green cabbage moths—also find the scent offensive. Even mice typically find somewhere else to snack.

USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9Color Varieties: Purple, violet-blue, rose, pale pink, white, yellowSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Lean, alkaline, well-draining

Marigolds have also been credited with repelling squash bugs, thrips, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies. Some marigolds even exude a chemical that kills root nematodes in the soil. However, if nematodes are a problem, you will need to leave the marigold roots in the soil at the end of the season.

USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Red, orange, yellow, goldSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, medium moisture, well-draining

The seeds are large and easy to collect for replanting next season. Many varieties will seed on their own. Plant the seeds after scarifying them first (nicking them or rubbing them with sandpaper) to help their germination. Or you can try turning them into nasturtium capers.

USDA Growing Zones: N/A (annual plant)Color Varieties: Red, orange, yellow, creamSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Poor to average, slightly acidic, well-draining

Unfortunately, sunflowers also tend to attract squirrels, which can be a problem if you are growing them to save the seeds. However, a coarse-leaved vegetable, such as squash, planted beneath the sunflowers can go a long way to deter animals.​

USDA Growing Zones: N/A (annual plant)Color Varieties: Yellow, red, burgundy, chocolateSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, moist, well-draining

Growing sweet peas with tall, edible peas and pole beans is a way to squeeze them into the garden and get the benefit of attracting more pollinators to your beans. They will not cross-pollinate with the edible peas, as they belong to different genera.

USDA Growing Zones: N/A (annual plant)Color Varieties: Red, pink, blue, purple, whiteSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Humusy, medium moisture, well-draining

Moreover, planting zinnia flowers in the vegetable garden gives you the opportunity to use them as cut flowers without having to worry about the gaps left behind from your cuttings. Gaps are expected in a vegetable garden as you harvest your crops.

USDA Growing Zones: N/A (annual plant)Color Varieties: Red, pink, yellow, orange, lilac, purple, green, whiteSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Humusy, well-draining