To add, for later maps, you're not going to be taking out bosses in one turn, so it's more important to minimize/heal damage instead (by my understanding, anyway).

Of course, skill boost is still the most important ability, which is why Cymbidium is regarded as the best gold in the game, and other golds like Justicia, Geranium, Cyrtanthus, Apple, and later certain bloomed girls like Sakura/Mei/Daisy/Nerine are highly valued.

And speed girls, like I mentioned earlier, in addition to helping minimize puny pest damage (by getting to their nests and/or reaching the end faster), are good for counteracting the sub-400 speed girls, especially Lavender's terribly low 235 speed. Edelweiss in particular is nice due to her hybrid speed+anti-pest abilities, but I personally prefer Dipladenia over Oncidium if we're talking pure speed (and waifuism). So it's good to have at least one of those three leveled.