25 Sunflower Companion Plants: For an Abundant Harvest

There are so many options when it comes to the best sunflower companion plants to choose. Sunflowers are more than just a cheerful face in the garden—they’re powerhouse plants that attract pollinators, easy to grow, and even serve as natural supports for climbing crops. But did you know sunflowers also thrive when grown alongside certain plants?

Whether you’re creating a pollinator paradise or a productive veggie patch, pairing sunflowers with the right companions leads to a healthier, more balanced garden, and will increase your harvest.

Why Use Companion Planting with Sunflowers?

Sunflower companion plants is the practice of grouping plants that benefit one another. Sunflowers, with their towering stalks and radiant blooms, offer natural trellises, partial shade, and a magnet for pollinators. In return, their companions may deter pests, enrich soil, or enhance overall plant health.

25 Ideal Sunflower Companion Plants

Pollinator Magnets

Boost biodiversity and pollination by pairing sunflowers with other insect-friendly blooms.

1. Zinnias – These bold, bright flowers bloom all summer and attract bees and butterflies. Their low-growing habit won’t compete for space and adds a vibrant color contrast. These will make a beautiful cut flower bouquet.

2. Cosmos – With airy foliage and daisy-like blooms, cosmos thrive in similar sunny, well-drained soil. They’re irresistible to butterflies and hummingbirds. Be aware cosmos can spread easily in the garden. They have taken over my garden like weeds, but to be honest… I like it. 

3. Echinacea (Coneflower) – A drought-tolerant native perennial that supports pollinators and birds alike. It thrives in the same conditions as sunflowers. If you like in a hot climate like me this will make growing flowers so much easier. Echinacea also has medicinal properties. 

4. Black-Eyed Susans – These golden-yellow flowers mirror the sunflower’s sunny aesthetic and bloom simultaneously, creating a visually cohesive pollinator patch. When your sunflowers are dying your black-eyed susans will bloom in late summer with a burst of yellow color!

5. Lavender – While typically thought of for its scent, lavender is also a powerful pollinator plant and pest deterrent. Its drought tolerance and compact shape make it ideal beneath tall sunflowers. I also love the purple and yellow color together. Go Lakers!

Vegetable Garden Favorites

Use sunflower structure and shade to your advantage with these edible companions.

6. Cucumbers – Trailing or vining cucumbers can climb sunflower stalks, reducing the need for trellising. Sunflowers also draw in bees that help cucumbers set fruit for a more abundant harvest. Win Win!

7. Pole Beans – Pole Beans need to climb up something so having sunflowers to climb would be perfect. Not only that, but the beans will add the nitrogen back into your soil that the sunflowers take out. Keeping your soil nice and healthy. 

8. Peas – Especially peas planted in the fall will benefit from sunflower support and shade in warmer months as they finish their growing cycle. In the fall plant your peas around the base of your sunflowers for a full harvest!

9. Lettuce – These cool-season crops appreciate filtered sunlight in hot climates, making sunflowers an excellent natural shade cover. This is an efficient use of space and you get a double harvest.

10. Pumpkins – With their wide, dense foliage, squash shade the soil and suppress weeds, while the vertical growth of sunflowers adds garden height without overcrowding. I will also help keep your soil from drying out, and you won’t have to water as much. Almost like a natural mulch. 

11. Zucchini – Different growth habits allow them to share space efficiently—sunflowers grow tall while zucchinis spread low to the ground. The broad zucchini leaves help shade the soil, reducing moisture loss and suppressing weeds, which benefits both plants. Meanwhile, sunflowers attract pollinators that also help fertilize zucchini flowers, improving fruit production. Additionally, sunflowers can act as a natural windbreak and may divert pests away from zucchinis, creating a more balanced and productive garden environment.

12. Butternut Squash – Butternut squash are great companion plants for sunflowers because their sprawling vines cover the ground, helping to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds, which benefits both plants. Sunflowers, in turn, grow tall and provide some shade and wind protection for the squash, especially during hot or dry conditions. Both plants attract pollinators with their flowers, increasing the chances of successful pollination for the squash. Additionally, sunflowers can act as a trap crop, drawing pests away from the more vulnerable squash vines, making the pairing both practical and productive in the garden.

Natural Pest Deterrents

Protect your sunflowers (and other crops) with these fragrant, pest-repelling allies.

13. Marigolds – Their strong scent deters aphids, nematodes, and whiteflies. Plus, they bloom all season and are incredibly easy to grow. 

14. Basil – Not only does basil repel mosquitoes and flies, but when allowed to flower, it also attracts pollinators. A dual-purpose herb! The shade from the sunflower will also help keep your basil from going to seed, giving you a longer harvest!

15. Thyme – A low-growing herb that helps deter cabbage worms and other common pests. It also serves as a fragrant ground cover, and delicious herb to use in your cooking. 

16. Chives – Their sulfur-rich aroma discourages aphids, Japanese beetles, and mites, while their edible blooms attract beneficial insects. Chives will also come back every year leaving you with a delicious onion garnish. 17. Nasturtiums – Act as a “trap crop,” drawing aphids away from sunflowers and other nearby plants. They also attract predatory insects like hoverflies and ladybugs. These flowers will help shade the ground and give you beautiful, editable leaves and flowers.

Soil Enrichers & Ground Covers

These plants improve soil fertility, prevent erosion, and outcompete weeds.

18. Oregano – Besides being a culinary favorite, oregano suppresses weeds and attracts beneficial predatory insects like lacewings and ladybugs. Be careful where you plant oregano because it can easily take over your garden and will come back each year. 

19. Sweet Alyssum – A low-growing flower that blankets the soil and draws in parasitic wasps and hoverflies, natural enemies of garden pests. Will act as a living ground cover, protecting your soil is just beautiful. 

20. Borage – This herb improves soil with trace minerals and attracts pollinators with its star-shaped, blue flowers. It’s also said to help nearby plants resist disease. Is also medicinal!

Aesthetic & Functional Combinations

Pair sunflowers with these to add beauty, diversity, and harmony to your garden.

21. Rudbeckia – Often confused with Black-Eyed Susans, Rudbeckias offer warm tones and similar growth habits for a cohesive look.

22. Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) – This heat-tolerant plant blooms in brilliant oranges and attracts monarchs and other pollinators. Double heat loving plants will make an abundant flower garden!

23. Snapdragons – Provide a vertical textural contrast beneath sunflowers and bloom in cooler parts of the growing season. 

24. Calendula – A cheerful medicinal herb that deters pests like aphids and also attracts pollinators and hoverflies.25. Petunias – Easy to care for and known for repelling asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, and aphids—plus, they bloom in a rainbow of colors.

What NOT to Plant Near Sunflowers

Even sunflowers have their limits. Avoid these close neighbors:

• Potatoes – Compete for nutrients and water; sunflowers may stunt their growth.
  
• Fennel – Secretes chemicals that inhibit most plants, including sunflowers.
  
• Corn – Competes for space, light, and nutrients. Both are heavy feeders and may struggle side-by-side.

Sunflower Companion Planting Tips

• Mind the Shade: Tall sunflowers can block sun for low-growing plants. Choose shade-tolerant companions or position accordingly.
  
• Watch for Allelopathy: Sunflowers release natural growth-inhibiting chemicals. Avoid planting sensitive crops too close.
  
• Stagger Planting Times: Give companion plants a head start before sunflowers take off to ensure they establish well before the sunflower shades the plant out.

Final Thoughts

Sunflowers aren’t just summer stunners—they’re smart, multifunctional companions. By planting intentionally and choosing the right partners, you can boost pollination, deter pests, improve soil health, and create a garden that’s as functional as it is beautiful.

If you want now tips and help to a successfully growing sunflowers from seeds this year click HERE