What Flowers To Plant With Strawberries

If you’re growing strawberries, you know the joy of a sweet, homegrown harvest. But have you thought about what flowers to plant with strawberries to make your patch even better? Companion planting with the right blooms can give you a more beautiful and productive garden. It’s a simple way to boost health, attract helpful insects, and create stunning visual appeal.

This guide will show you the best floral partners for your strawberry plants. We’ll cover flowers that deter pests, improve pollination, and look fantastic doing it. Let’s get your garden looking and tasting its best.

Choosing the right companions starts with understanding what strawberries need. They love sun, well-drained soil, and good airflow. The ideal flower partners will share these needs without competing too aggressively. They should also bring a specific benefit, like pest control or soil improvement.

Why Flowers Make Great Strawberry Companions

Flowers do more than just look pretty in the veggie garden. They work hard. Many common garden flowers attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. This ensures your strawberry flowers are fully pollinated, leading to bigger, better-shaped fruit.

Other flowers act as natural bodyguards. Their strong scents can confuse or repel harmful insects, protecting your berries. Some even attract predatory insects that eat common strawberry pests. It’s a natural, chemical-free way to manage your garden.

Top Flower Choices for Your Strawberry Patch

Here are some of the most effective and beautiful flowers to grow alongside your strawberries.

1. Borage

Borage is often considered the perfect companion. Its star-shaped blue flowers are a major pollinator magnet. The plant itself can help strengthen strawberry plants’ resistance to disease. Some gardeners believe it even improves the flavor of the berries.

Benefits: Attracts bees and wasps, deters tomato hornworms.
Planting Tip: Let it self-seed for flowers year after year.

2. Marigolds

Marigolds are a powerhouse for pest control. Their roots release a substance that suppresses nematodes, tiny soil pests that can damage strawberry roots. Their strong scent also deters other insects.

Benefits: Suppresses bad nematodes, repels various insects.
Planting Tip: Choose French marigolds for the best nematode control.

3. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are a fantastic trap crop. Aphids love them more than strawberries, so they draw pests away from your precious fruit. Their vibrant flowers are edible and add a peppery kick to salads.

Benefits: Lures aphids away, attracts predatory insects.
Planting Tip: Plant them at the edges of your strawberry bed.

4. Thyme (as a flowering herb)

Thyme forms a low-growing mat that acts as a living mulch. It helps suppress weeds and keeps soil moist. When it flowers, it provides nectar for beneficial insects. Its scent can also mask the smell of strawberries from pests.

Benefits: Ground cover, weed suppression, attracts bees.
Planting Tip: Plant between strawberry plants or around the bed’s border.

5. Lupines

Lupines are nitrogen-fixers. They take nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots, enriching the soil for nearby strawberries, which appreciate the nutrient boost. Their tall, colorful spires add great vertical interest.

Benefits: Improves soil fertility, adds height to garden design.
Planting Tip: Best planted at the north side of the bed to avoid shading strawberries.

How to Plant Flowers with Strawberries

Follow these steps to successfully integrate flowers into your strawberry patch.

Plan Your Layout: Sketch your bed. Place taller flowers (like lupines) on the north side. Use low-growing flowers (like thyme) as living mulch between plants.
Prepare the Soil: Ensure soil is rich, loose, and well-draining. Both strawberries and most companion flowers thrive in similar conditions.
Plant in Stages: You can plant strawberries and flowers at the same time, or add flowers to an established bed. Just be careful not to disturb strawberry roots to much.
Mind the Spacing: Avoid overcrowding. Give each plant enough room for air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.
Water and Mulch: Water thoroughly after planting. Apply a light layer of straw or pine needle mulch to conserve moisture and keep berries clean.

Flowers to Avoid Near Strawberries

Not all plants make good neighbors. Some can actually harm your strawberry plants.

Plants in the Cabbage Family: (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower) They are heavy feeders and compete for nutrients.
Fennel: It releases substances that inhibit the growth of many plants, including strawberries.
Some Tall, Spreading Flowers: Avoid aggressive plants that will shade out or overtake your strawberries, like some types of large sunflowers.

Designing a Beautiful Strawberry & Flower Garden

Think about color, height, and bloom time. For a cottage garden feel, let plants intermingle loosely. For a neater look, plant in defined blocks or rows.

Consider succession of bloom. Choose flowers that bloom at the same time as your strawberries (spring/early summer) for a coordinated display. Also include later-blooming flowers to keep the garden attractive after the strawberry harvest is done.

Don’t forget about foliage. Silver-leaved plants like dusty miller can provide beautiful contrast to the green strawberry leaves and bright flowers.

Common Problems and Solutions

Even with companions, issues can arise. Here’s how to troubleshoot.

Flowers Taking Over: Choose clump-forming flowers over rampant spreaders. Deadhead regularly to prevent excessive self-seeding.
Increased Pest Problems: If a “companion” plant attracts more pests than it deters, remove it. Nasturtiums can sometimes become too effective an aphid magnet.
Poor Strawberry Growth: Ensure flowers aren’t competing for water or nutrients. You may need to water more frequently or apply a balanced organic fertilizer.

Seasonal Care Tips

Your combined garden needs care through the year. In spring, feed the bed with compost. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms. During the peak harvest, pick berries regularly.

In late fall, after the first frost, cut back perennial flowers and mulch your strawberry plants for winter. Annual flowers can be pulled and composted. This is a good time to plan next year’s flower combinations.

FAQ

Can I plant flowers in the same container as strawberries?
Absolutely! Container gardening is a great way to practice companion planting. Just ensure the pot is large enough for both root systems and has excellent drainage. Dwarf marigolds and creeping thyme work very well.

Do these flowers help with slugs around strawberries?
Yes, some can. Flowers that attract ground beetles, like marigolds, can help because beetles eat slug eggs. However, for a serious slug problem, you’ll likely need additional methods like beer traps.

What are the best flowers to attract bees for strawberry pollination?
Borage is arguably the top choice. Other excellent bee-attracting flowers include lavender, catmint, and phacelia. Planting these nearby will significantly increase bee visits to your strawberry blossoms.

Should I plant flowers with day-neutral or everbearing strawberries?
Yes, the principle is the same. Since these strawberries produce fruit over a longer season, having flowers that bloom successively can provide ongoing benefits for pest control and pollination throughout the growing period.

Adding flowers to your strawberry patch is a rewarding strategy. It creates a healthier, more resilient garden ecosystem and a truly beautiful space. You’ll enjoy not just the harvest, but the view from your window. With these tips, you can create a productive and picturesque garden that benefits both you and the local wildlife.