Q: I am fairly new to gardening and would like to know if there are certain flowers that can be planted in my veggie garden that will ward off deer and bugs. Any truth to this?

A: Flowers in the vegetable garden won’t deter deer but they may confuse insects. By growing a diverse variety of flowers, insects are “confused” by the scents and are less likely to increase to harmful numbers. Flowers also attract predators like ladybugs and syrphid flies. A mulch of leaves or wheat straw between rows and under plants makes good habitat for spiders – some of your best garden allies.