I have nasturtiums, one in each rose pot. I wonder if it is just the flowers or the actual plant that keeps them off the roses? Nearly all suffered from aphids but seem to be getting over it. Not sure if it was Safers spray or the Nasties, but the aphids seem to be gone now. I also have chives in each pot, to test the theory of the allium family keeping blackspot at bay. So far so good, or have I just been lucky? Stay tuned to the continuing saga. Basil too eh? intersting. sounds like a herb garden in with the roses. Kinda cool.

I'm trying to get perennials going, especially gypsophilia paniculata, but it hasn't bloomed yet, tried some crushed drywall (chalky) to lower the ph a little. Coreopsis went double on me, loved that, but hard to train right, cut it back. I have grown annual salvia 2 years now but want to go perennial where I used that, blue crystal this year and sangria last year, also a freebie yellow coneflower looks nice, meadow sage is good, haven't had time to mulch it yet and can't get that bed watered much. Some Color Parade lilies. Trying to get some delphs and white foxglove going. Crazy daisy should bloom next year. And catmint, not doing much this year but hangin' in there. Annual alyssum is very drought tolerant. White, pink and purple phlox. I stuck in some Rudbeckia Prairie Sun, very striking but not where it is, supposed to self-seed. I want something medium height or tallish with purple bells. What might that be? Failed twice trying to get campanula? ladybells going from seed, will give it one more shot. Russian sage I love but it gets too big, should try to find the smaller variety. Finally, clematis. Have two kinds going well now; one too young yet, one won't bloom, and one isn't happy where I put it. Many of the plants people in warmer zones are using doubt will grow in my zone.

In Florida you should look at society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) and drumstick allium (A. sphaerocephalum). There also are some native species from Texas in cultivation like A. drummondi, and A. texanum, but I don't know much about them personally.

I grow marigolds on the edges of my lasagna beds, but it's more of a pretty factor than a companion factor. And with this years bed rotation, the marigolds are on the edges of pepper, squash, and bean beds, and not along the tomato beds at all, lol. And I thickly direct sow marigold seed too- that way it's a nice bushy border and if/when they get bug-tacular I can just pull those plants if needed. This year it's carrots and leafy greens edging the tomato beds- but that's more of a got that little space left over I can cram them into rather than companionship. But hey, if it helps, why not? I've never been sure how basil is supposed to improve tomatoes either- I always figured it was kind of an old wives tale because tomatoes and basil are so often companioned in cooking rather than the growing aspect of it. I would never grow garlic in my tomato bed- my garlic gets it's own beds, and honestly is one of the only beds that is perfectly picked clean of anything that could compete with the garlic. Garlic might be good for tomatoes, but I wouldn't want to chance tomatoes out competing my garlic. Borage gets it's own growing space too, because it has it's own application, and I don't want it competed with. I grow calendula aside too for the same reason. My sage is in the herb garden, and I don't grow chives because I have large swaths of my lawn that are thick with wild chives so I don't need to grow any. Nasturtiums can be a great companion plant as far as I'm concerned- but as a companion plant only as a trap plant that I'm willing to sacrifice. I had a nasty aphid infestation last year, and the nasts trapped almost all of them- and when a bit of the plant got infested, I promptly cut it off and drowned it. I grew them next to peppers and squash last year, and they didn't get a single aphid. I wouldn't rely on nasts as a companion to just let sit and do whatever. But then I have the tendency to grow hedgerows of nasts because I use them a lot for various eating too, so I can use them as sacrificial companions and eating plants.