10 Colorful Veggies that Go Well with Flowers

To many gardeners, vegetable patches and flowers are like fire and water, living in strict segregation from each other. Vegetables were the utilitarian workers that lived to serve, ultimately ending up on salad plates, while flowers were the showy aristocrats gracing the front walkway. But that is now set to change with the introduction of edimentals. 

Edimentals are the plant embodiment of individuals endowed with both wit and beauty – they claim both grace and utility. Drawing upon the tradition of French potager gardens where flowers, herbs, and plants coexisted in harmony, edimentals represent a new era that maximizes productivity without forsaking beauty. They function as screen privacy, borders, and fillers for unsightly areas. Vegetables grown alongside flowers benefit from improved soil health and pest deterrence. 

Below are 10 colorful vegetables that are pretty enough to sit with the flowers. 

 

1. Bright Lights Swiss Chard

With its electric stalks of ruby red, brilliant gold, and neon pink, Swiss chard is the ultimate poster child for edimentals. The heavily crinkled, deep green leaves provide a dramatic, textured backdrop that elevates nearby blooms.

• Pair With: Plant chard alongside marigolds or calendula. The fiery oranges and yellows of the flowers perfectly echo the bright veins of the chard, creating a warm, sun-kissed palette.

2. Redbor Kale

Most people would rather go for a steak than a kale smoothie, but this kale variety may make them reconsider. Kale 'Redbor' kale grows into a frilly, deep-purple rosette that intensifies in color as the weather cools. It's often regarded as milder than standard kale. Sow in the spring 4–6 weeks before the last frost.

• Pair With: Contrast its deep purple foliage with the bright, cheery faces of pansies or white sweet alyssum. Alyssum behaves like a living carpet at the base of the tall kale stalks. 

3. Amaranth

The foliage of amaranth carries a striking magenta tint that sets it apart from other grain crops. It thrives in the heat of day, outcompeting weeds in neglected gardens. 

• Pair With: Pair them with pink cosmos or zinnias, either intermixed or towering above them. The weeping forms of ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ allows it to droop downward to embrace the shorter blooms, creating an intentionally chaotic effect. 

4. 'Purple Beauty' Bell Peppers

If you’ve ever wondered what ‘neon black’ looks like, it can be found in these 'Purple Beauty' bell peppers, which can appear completely black before they finish ripening to purple. While green peppers blend into the background, these peppers produce glossy, blocky fruit that almost resemble eggplants at first glance. 

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• Pair With: To reap benefits, plant them next to nasturtiums. Not only do nasturtiums provide a vibrant bed of color, but they also act as a trap crop, drawing voracious aphids away. Fortify your garden beds further with an organic insecticide. 

5. Scarlet Runner Beans

Surfaces awash in the crimson blooms of scarlet runner beans are a sight to behold – many gardeners use them to create a wall of shade. The tender pods can be eaten steamed, or they can be left to mature as dried beans. The beans, a mottled purple, seem like the origins of the beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk, soaring heavenward.  

• Pair With: They can be intertwined with sweet peas, or surprisingly, sunflowers. The long stalks of sunflowers provide a natural trellis for the beans to climb, resulting in a magnificent pairing. A-frame trellises, along with raised garden beds, are recommended to maximize your harvests.  

6. Black Pearl Ornamental Peppers

Most people do not use these peppers for cooking unless they have a death wish; they’re intended for decorative purposes. If you test one, employ caution. The plant features jet-black leaves that soak up the sun, though it’s the pearl-like peppers that are the most intriguing.

• Pair With: Combine them with petunias or calibrachoa in shades of hot pink or crisp white to make the black foliage stand out. 

7. 'Red Sails' Lettuce

Lettuce gives a startling range of color, though most are only familiar with the complacent green. 'Red Sails' features red-splashed rosettes with serrated frills. It is ready to harvest after just 2 or 3 weeks, making it excellent for filling gaps early in the season. It possesses only a minute trace of bitterness, unlike most red varieties. 

• Pair With: Pair with blue borage or cornflowers. The cool, intense blues of these flowers create a breathtaking contrast against the bronzed lettuce leaves.

8. Glass Gem Corn

If you like popcorn, 'Glass Gem' corn is a magical addition. Their lineage is the result of decades of choosing the brightest variants of corn, until they retained a jewel-toned appearance reminiscent of sea glass. They make excellent popcorn, though the kernels won’t be multicolored. 

• Pair With: Plant a matrix of coneflowers and black-eyed Susans around the base. The sturdy corn stalks handle the wind well, while the native wildflowers keep the soil shaded.

9. 'Trionfo Violetto' Pole Beans

These Italian heirloom beans are another wonderful addition to the goth garden, featuring a predominantly purple scheme with their purple pods and flowers. They are incredibly prolific and stay tender and sweet even when long.

• Pair With: Train them over an archway alongside climbing roses, ensuring that each has their own dedicated growing space. The unexpected combination creates an enchanting, fairy-tale walkway.

10. 'Amethyst' Basil

Basil is a sensory delight, and the 'Amethyst' variety is especially captivating with its nearly black, turned-down leaves and delicate lavender flowers. It fills the air with a sweet, spicy fragrance whenever you brush past.

• Pair With: Plant it close to dahlias or salvia. The dark basil foliage grounds the many-petalled dramatics of late-summer dahlias.