I found this book very helpful for bolstering my gardening efforts. I really appreciated the author's detailed plans for growing a better garden by using the companion planting method.

Helpful tips and recommendations from a pro-gardener. This book contains a large collection of tutorial and facts about a colorful variety of flowers that can be used for any garden. Excellent book!

I must admit that I like pretty books. I want to flip through the pages and feast with my eyes. If I like what I see then I am inclined to read. Bob Schamerhorn was the photographer for this book. His photographs are gorgeous. So gorgeous are the photos that I may have purchased the book without even reviewing the content. But, oh I am so happy that I read the book as well! It is actually full of useful information. If someone from the publisher is reading this review, please know that I would really love a hardcopy of the book! (hint, hint!)

One of the interesting things about the book is the overall design/flow. I didn’t realize it until I was looking at it later, but basically Ziegler hooks you at the beginning of the book with all the reasons to add flowers to your vegetable garden, and then at the end of the book she gives you detailed instructions on exactly how to add the flowers. If she bogged down the beginning of the book with such detail, I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much. I applaud the approach.

What I like most is Zeigler’s specifics. Her instructions are incredibly precise. She doesn’t gloss over any aspect of the process – from preparing the soil, to spacing, to harvesting. She devotes entire chapters to flower choices for each season, detailing how to sow the seed, how much sun is needed, height, spacing, and what pollinators to expect. And, as I mentioned before, the accompanying photos are terrific.

She continues providing specifics in her chapter on the pollinators, expanding past the typical bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. She provides great (and specific) advice on how to provide for and protect habitats for pollinators. She devotes another chapter to ‘beneficial predators’ such as birds, frogs, and spiders.

Beyond that, Zeigler covers the topics of irrigation, row covers, weeds, compost, cover crops, perches, rock piles, and native plants. I’m telling you that she packs a ton of very useful information into 179 pages!

I am pretty sure that I will maintain vegetables as my primary focus. However, Zeigler’s book has convinced me of the need to adjust my approach to flowers (and gardening in general). I know I will find myself turning to her book time and time again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Beautiful book and helpful. I enjoyed learning about what plants worked together naturally as well as look good too. I recommend this book to gardeners of all types to plant better and healthier gardens getting the most from what they do. This book provides wonderful knowledge! Nice tool to use each year. Love the photos too.

This is such a good explanation of the companion planting of certain vegetables and flowers, which provides a deterrent against many of the scourges of our gardens, those pesky bugs nibbling, nibbling, nibbling...! Valuable information enclosed in a beautiful book.

Growing up in the south and in the country I have always seen vegetable gardens with some flowering plants mixed in. I never really thought about why. Now I know. Did you know that certain flowering plants can keep bugs off your fruits and vegetables? By mixing a few flowers in with your garden you can keep a lot of chemical treatments out of your food by letting the plants get rid of the bugs and even the animals who want to munch on your other plants.

The book is filled with some awesome pictures of the the Authors own garden showing the placements of the flowering plants among the food bearing plants. She goes in depth on how these flowering plants rid your garden of the pests. Certain plants help with certain bugs so you want to make sure to have those flowering plants next to the fruit or vegetable instead of across the garden from them.

The author also talks a lot about her cut flower buisness and how she is having the best of both worlds. This books is great for me I live in Florida where there are some of the craziest bugs you have ever seen. Maybe this year and the years to come my garden will be a lot healthier and will produce more and be beautiful all at the same time.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Vegetables Love Flowers was an eye-opening book. Every year I start my vegetables indoors under lights and I do grow flowers, but never really paid attention to the amount, varieties and placement in the garden. The author provides a very informative overview of her own experiences growing flowers and vegetables and I wish I was her neighbor because the pictures of her gardens are gorgeous. I have always planted flowers and herbs to encourage bees to visit, but have spent little time thinking about and planting a garden that would also attract beneficial insects.
The book is divided into four sections: Flowers in the Vegetable Garden, Plants by Season, Heroes of the Garden and Growing a Healthy Garden. In addition, there is a Resource Section featuring recommended links for resources and supplies that the author uses. If I could only take one thing away in terms of a resource, I have no doubt it would be my exposure to soil block makers(Hello, have I had my head buried in compost all these years to have not heard of this tool). I am so excited to try this next year and hope to have even better transplants.
There wasn't a single chapter that I didn't learn something and I have started additional flats of flowers to plant in the garden this year. Next year, I will be following several of the included garden plans and I think I will be on my way to a much healthier and more productive garden. A great resource that I would recommend to anyone who loves to garden.
Thank you, Lisa Mason Ziegler, Quarto Publishing Group-Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC.

Vegetables love Flowers is a delightful book on growing flowers alongside vegetables not just for show but for the benefits they have on reducing insects (the pesky ones that nibble your vegetables as they grow), with insects that love flowers but in turn eat those pesky insects destroying your hard work!

The book explains very well the benefits for doing this and goes through the author's path in using this method and which flowers she recommends to grow.  There are four sections in this book which covers Flowers in the Vegetable Garden, Plants by Season, Heroes of the Garden and Growing a Healthy Garden.

Flowers in the Vegetable Garden explains why to grow the flowers alongside the vegetables, where to plant them and cutting the flower: growing the flowers has two purposes, one to help the vegetables and two to bring the flowers into your home which in turn encourages the flowers to flower again in your garden, providing more insect habitats.

Plants by Season covers how to grow warm season tender and cool season hardy annuals, and which vegetables are good to grow in the same season.  Each flower listed gives details on how to grow the plant and which insect is attracted to it, plus tips on when to cut the flowers and how.  Whilst it says grow certain flowers in the autumn or spring time, I would have found it more useful to have the exact months to get planting, just like they do on seed packets as its a rather broad timeline otherwise.

Heroes of the Garden shows which insects are pollinators and how to build a Creature Hotel. It also explains which are beneficial predators to your garden, including snakes! 

To complete the book Growing a Healthy Garden and an Appendix with vegetable/flower plans to follow are explained. It explains the best place to locate your garden, soil, pathways, growing seeds (inside and outside) and how to deal with some pests that might have snuck in not using pesticides. It also explains the importance of having water for birds how to make leaf compost and having log piles for the insects to inhabit. The bed plans cover the four seasons for both vegetables and flowers. There are six bed plans for those with bigger plots plus one for the city gardener.

Throughout the book there is wonderful colour photography of insects and flowers.

After reading this book I certainly will be setting up a bed of flowers in my garden in the future in a place I'd not considered before.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Cool Springs Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Vegetables Love Flowers. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion was freely given.

With beautiful accompanying photographs and clear, concise instructions, Vegetables Love Flowers is the perfect book for those who desire to have a companion garden of their very own. Teaching how best to mix flowers and vegetables, how to attract beneficial insects, how to plant seasonally to maximize your yield, and how to tend to the garden, author Lisa Mason Ziegler shows examples from her own garden to inspire newcomers to the ideas contained within the pages of the book. With helpful planting guides located in the appendix, readers can take what they have learned and apply it to their own gardens.

As a successful cutting garden professional, the author has great knowledge about insects and how their presence can lead to more healthy and beautiful blooms. She has applied this knowledge to companion gardening and gives readers the confidence to start their own. I highly recommend Vegetables Love Flowers as a coffee table book, as an inspirational guide, or as a gift for someone who is either a gardener or aspires to be.

Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler focuses on "companion planting for beauty and bounty". I already add flowers to my garden to repel some bugs and attract pollinators. I was inspired to expand the flower portion of my garden by this book. My favorite part was the cut flower arrangements using simple flowers such as zinnias and celosia. Another major bonus was the seasonal garden layouts combining vegetables and flowers. The author gives good information on companion flowers and herbs including growing tips, visitors to expect, and harvesting tips. This is a wonderful book for any gardener.

Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler
Companion Planting for Beauly and Bounty

March 2018
Nonfiction, gardening
Quarto Publishing

I received this digital ARC from Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an organized and beautifully illustrated book sharing the authors experience with growing plants and flowers together. Some of the benefits of companion planting included less work to allow the natural growing process to take over. The author does caution that this solution to pests and gardening problems will not resolve issues overnight.

She explains how companion planting of flowers and vegetables can assist with many of difficulties gardeners have when attempting to grow organically. The use of beneficial insects which are attracted to specific flowers become a preventative force to the insects which thrive on garden vegetables. It’s the forethought and planning which helps preventative maintenance for a healthy garden.

A perfect book for the learning gardener.
It's packed with gorgeous pictures, complete descriptions of the flowers and planting tips,
There is the science of the compost heap, you just can't toss anything in there, addresses pests and weeds and lists the best companion plants, certain flowers do much more than attract bees.
I requested an ARC copy from NetGalley to review.

Author Lisa Mason Ziegler with The Gardners Workshop is a home gardener and cut flower farmer. She starts this book off by introducing readers to the idea of growing flowers in your vegetable garden to attract beneficial insects and increase yields.

Timely planting is discussed. Unfortunately, everything here is going in the ground late this year due to the cold temperatures that affected planting times.

My husband and I have started seed indoors but have never tried the soil blocking that the author uses. We use to start your plants in a small greenhouse, but it got destroyed in a storm, so we've been planting out from packs we purchased from a nearby nursery. We plant our vegetables in rows and stagger our annuals as they need room to spread out.

Yesterday, we spent time moving some of our raised vegetable beds closer to our perennial beds. We planted loose leaf lettuce and will plant the packs of tomatoes later this week.

There is an excellent section on mulching and weed prevention in general in this read. It also goes on to talk about fertilizing and the use of compost and what it contains.

The benefits of having beneficial creatures in the garden are discussed in detail in this book. Ladybug larva will eat the harmful insects, like aphids. Spiders and wasp also feed on harmful insects, while other flying insects aid in pollinating blooms. Bird feeders and bushes will attract birds that are good a preying on harmful insects too.

We use protective coverings when there is a danger of frost and we've already planted. But this read also goes into detail about row covers and the use of hoop houses.

We have beds of hosta and last year the slugs were strong invaders, so, one thing I might try this year is the authors trap for slugs and snails.

New to me was the section on creating habitats for many reptiles. We have frogs around here that hang out in our small garden pond. But it has been years since we've seen any snakes in the garden.

Overall, I felt this book was a quick and easy read. The thing I most enjoyed was the depth of detail about companion planting and the vivid images that went along with it. You can read more about Lisa's making of this book here.

I was expecting more about companion planting as the title suggests however this book is more about growing cut flowers. It does contain good basic instruction on growing without pesticides and good bug attraction methods. Unfortunately it is too North America focused for a global audience. I received the PDF for the alkido app and found the images over saturated with too much colour which made for a very uncomfortable read.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to add flowers to their garden and reduce the use of chemical pesticides.  There is a ton of well presented information on growing flowers as well as any other plants.

Based on the title, I expected a lot more "vegetable" in this book - it was mostly about growing cut flowers. I hoped for more on companion planting, like what specific flowers contribute to vegetable gardens, other than inviting pollinators (for example, do certain varieties contribute nutrients that help certain vegetables thrive? Are there certain flowers that should NOT be planted next to certain vegetables?) I did really like the plethora of information on beneficial insects and other wildlife in the garden, and plan to implement a few of those ideas. Maybe the title should've been closer to what exactly the book is about.

This book is all about growing vegetables and flowers organically, the author grows flowers for commercial purposes, and most of the book is geared to this end. It is American so some of the insect may not be the same where you live.
Having said that, I found the book extremely well written and illustrated with very detailed information regarding the use of insects and such to rid the garden of pests.. I was hoping that the book would have had more information on companion planting, and the interaction between flowers and vegetables, their ability to protect and encourage better health and flavour in vegetables.
Anyone who likes to grow organically, does not want to use chemical sprays to kill all insect, this certainly will be useful. If you want to grow good quality flowers this book is excellent.

Lisa Mason Ziegler tells about her long hands on experience on growing flowers and vegetables and it is clear that she knows what she's talking about. She gives excellent advice on how to use flowers to enhance your vegetable garden and produce and at the same time enjoy the delights the flowers themselves bring to you.
It was especially delightful that she has specific tips on warm-season tender annuals and -cool-season hardy annuals - many things that are not so obvious, but will make a difference in your garden.
Growing flowers in the vegetable garden will not only beautify it, but will protect it from pests and help in pollination.
The section of the book giving suggestions for plant combinations is excellent and will save a lot of time for the reader to figure out what to plant, in where and when.
An excellent guide book and definitely one I'd like to have in my own shelf.

Vegetables Love Flowers is a beautiful, educational, and idea inspiring read. This book would make en excellent reference book for anyone looking to grow vegetables, flowers, or just learn more about gardening. Sections included also cover attracting birds, bees, and butterflies. The page layouts are full of helpful information and include color planting maps in the end of the book. My favorite visual part of the book was the inclusions of so many vibrant color photographs.

Lisa Mason Ziegler's "Vegetables Love Flowers' is an excellent read for anyone interested in cultivating their own veggies or flowers. Filled from cover to cover with beautiful photography that allows the reader to easily visualize how Lisa's tips and tricks will in their own gardens. Although I've been flower gardening for a few years I still found many little tidbits I has not previously bee aware of, such as how the distance between sunflower plants determines the size of their blooms. I really love the emphasis on staying away from pesticides. Its incredibly important to learn how to grow successfully using nature to nurture. This is my first year adding praying mantises to my property in order to control the aphid population. In combination with the info from this lovely book I hope to have my most successful growing season yet!