I get a lot of questions here at Learn How To Garden from subscribers and viewers. I had an interesting one recently from Ginny that’s very timely .  Here’s  Ginny’s question:

“I’ve just bought some hardy perennials, ‘Viola Odorata’ to grow among my brassicas. I read (or it could have been a dream!!) that growing white Viola make cabbage white butterfly’s think there are already lots of cabbage white’s on the brassicas and so they don’t bother to lay their eggs.”

It’s a really interesting question and that you post because what you’re attempting to do is actually confuse the butterflies that lay their eggs on your brassicas by presenting a visual mimicry to confuse the Cabbage White Butterflies and its a different type of companion planting because normally companion planting masks the scent of the vulnerable plant or actively produces chemicals that repel certain insects.

Insects normally are attracted to their host plants via scent, Continue reading Question: Can Violets be used to protect Brassicas from Insects →