Flower Tower
- by Holly Ciancioso
- February 8, 2024
- True Garden Blog
Growing with a purpose
While we love growing leafy greens, herbs, and fruiting plants in our Towers, have you ever thought about a change? What about growing a Tower filled with flowers? Not only do flowers add beauty but flowers attract pollinators and beneficial insects to the Tower. Some even have pest repellent qualities. Many flowers are even edible!
Even if you do not fill the entire Tower with flowers, think about adding some color with these beneficial flowers to your Tower Garden.
Butterfly& Hummingbird Mix
Attract butterflies and hummingbirds from spring through fall.
Beneficial Insect Attractant
Attract beneficial insects. Perennial and annual varieties attract many beneficial
insects that prey on unwanted garden insect pests.
Florist Blue Boy
Also known as bachelor’s button, these small pom–pom shaped flowers make
charming garnishes. The flowers are usually blue and have a sweet or spicy
taste.
Calendula
The dried flowers of calendula are sometimes referred to as “poor man’s
saffron.” Use this plant to add a spicy, peppery taste to food.
Chamomile
The yellow or white daisy-like petals of chamomile have been used for centuries
to make a soothing herbal tea. Use petals only.
Cosmo – Dwarf
Attracts aphids away from other plants, thus protecting them. This makes it
easier to use as a decoy to eradicate early aphid colonies. They also repel
certain butterfly pests, like cabbage months, from laying eggs in the area. You
can eat the petals of cosmos flowers and add them to your salads.
It attracts and is a food source for bees. Leaves and flower petals are edible.
Used as an over-the-counter herbal remedy for the common cold or flu.
However, it is also used to treat pain, inflammation, migraines, and other health
issues.
An excellent alternative to vegetative varieties. Deep purple flowers bloom the
first year on large, dense spikes. Plants are bushy, uniform, and well-branched.
Winter hardy in Zones 5–7. The flowers can be used to garnish desserts and as
a distinct flavor element in baked goods. The flavor is sweet and floral, and
pairs well with citrus, berries, nuts, mint, and cinnamon.
Marigold – Dwarf
Add the cheery flowers of marigolds to salads for a bright color and slightly
peppery flavor. The pest repellent qualities of Marigolds are one of the most
often repeated benefits. They are even a natural mosquito repellent.
Nasturtium
Nasturtium can be eaten raw. It is delicious in soups, butters, purees, pastas,
and broths, as well as in flavored oils, simple syrups, cocktails, vinaigrettes, and
as a garnish. The flowers are the mildest component of the flower, and
obviously add lovely, bright colors (often reds and oranges), while the leaves
offer a deep, earthy green with a peppery bite. The stems are crisp yet tender.
They are similar in texture to chives but with that characteristic Nasturtium bite.
Sunflower – Dwarf
Produces a single flower that grows to a height of about 8 inches. One of the
fantastic benefits of sunflowers is that they are incredible at bringing pollinators
to your garden. Sunflowers have a distinctive appearance that draws bees and
other pollination insects. Sunflower seeds can be used as bird food.
Violas
Also known as Johnny Jump–Ups, these tiny purple, yellow and blue flowers
have a mild, wintergreen flavor. Use them decoratively on cakes and desserts,
add them to salads or float them in drinks.
