I heard Geranium mentioned - is it something that repels or kills aphid etc.???
By themselves, flowering plants or their leaves are unlikely to outright kill an insect. Insects that would be killed by any plant would tend to avoid eating or even going near the plant. Evolution does not favor a specie that tend to commit suicide like that.
Using plants to protect any other plant that we want to grow takes a bit of research.
Checking with Mr Google it seems that Geraniums are good at repelling mosquitos and leafhoppers but not aphids. But Geraniums are good at repelling spider mites just in case your friend is worried about those mites on his Cannabis crop. But, while Marigolds are known to repel many types of insects including some that go through a larvae stage these same Marigolds will attract spider mites. Find a plant that attracts a predator that goes after spider mites and put that near the marigolds. An example of the 'circle of life' as our son used to say.
Gotta take notes or open up several tabs at a time while doing research on companion planting. Have to find what insects are repelled by what plant, which plant will attract the insect and figure out which insect will eat which insect.
Going with a
"spray and kill them all" plan does not work out well at all. Often what ends up happening is the spray not only kills the aphids, as an example, but it also could kill a predator insect that eats the aphids plus several other insects that attack the plants we want to keep.
Tell your friend to plant several small clumps of Zinnias and if he or she is lucky enough the aphids will go to those flowers. Really, really lucky and some ants will come along and start to set up a ranch and keep the herd of aphids on the Zinnias. Now your friend knows where the aphids are living. Just leave the ants and aphids alone and after the aphids kill a few Zinnia the ants will move their herd somewhere else.
Some of this came up in a thread from several years ago:
https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/why-i-never-spray-for-pests.416323/
Another one that might have some info towards the end is this one, but it has been awhile since I read it so I can't say for sure...
https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/big-spider-mites-issue-mineral-oil-during-flower.505509/