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The Gorgeous Flower Companion Plant That'll Help Your Basil Thrive
By ROSE OKEKE
Sunflowers make great companions for basil since these flowers love the sun and grow toward it, whereas basil prefers the shade.
Basil plants bolt when given too much sun, which causes them to mature, produce flowers and seeds, grow bitter in taste and die before any more leaves can be harvested.
Sunflowers, however, are able to prevent this process as they shade the basil from the sun by towering over them with their size.
In return, basil acts as a pest repellent and keeps hungry insects and other bugs away from sunflowers thanks to
its natural oils such as citronellal and limonene.
These oils also give the herb its flavorful aroma,
and when basil flowers, it attracts pollinating agents like bees to it and any surrounding plants, including nearby sunflowers.