Fun Flower Facts About Marigolds

One of my favorite flowers is marigolds; they are hardy and despite being annuals, in my garden they come back year after year. I don't just rely on the marigolds reseedings themselves though; I also harvest the seeds once the flower pod is dry. I always have plenty to share. Some complain about the way that marigolds smell - me I think they look great and smell even better. They come in several colors and sizes; I like them all. We only have the African & French marigolds, but we have several different colors: yellow, orange, red, yellow-red mix, and orange-red mix. Marigolds are long lasting, which is another reason to love them; they arrive sometime in the middle to late spring and stay until the end of fall.

I grow two different varieties: African and French. The African marigolds can grow as tall as three feet or as short as a foot. They bloom from the middle of the summer to the first frost with yellow or orange flowers. The French marigolds are much shorter and more compact than the African marigolds - they grow anywhere between six inches to 18 inches. This variety blooms from spring until the first frost. Their blooms are a bigger color range than the African marigolds: bright yellow, bright orange, and a rusty dark red. Some are bi-colored yellow/red or orange red combinations. Don't tell the African marigolds, but I favor these blooms because of the bi-colors and because they bloom longer.

I've read in many books and magazines that marigolds are natural insect repellents; either we have very persistent mosquitoes or it's not true.

Name origin:
Marigolds were named for the Virgin Mary... Mary's gold.

Scientific Name
Tagetes sp. - General scientific name
Tagetes erect - African marigolds
Tagetes patula - French Marigolds

Common Name:
Stinky Roger

History
The different varieties of marigolds that fit under the scientific name of tagetes are natives of Mexico. Spaniards who travelled to Mexico in the 16th century returned to Europe with seeds to share, then some of the seeds made it to Africa. Eventually the plants came back to the Americas as African and French marigolds; the African marigolds came back by way of Africa and the French by way of France.

Medicinal Purposes:
This particular variety has no medicinal purpose.

Planting Instructions:
Marigolds need full sun. Without at least six hours of direct sun the plants will not bloom as well. Also being in the shade too much makes them more attractive to bugs as a meal. If you deadhead the faded blooms it encourages the plant to make even more blooms. Deadheading is cutting off the faded blooms before it goes to seed.

Wait until after the last frost in the spring to sow the seeds outdoors. If you start the seeds indoors then transplant them when both the danger of frost is gone and when the plant is at least 3 inches tall. The French and smaller African marigolds should be planted a foot apart, the big bushy African marigolds kind need to be planted two feet apart.

References:

Durant, Mary. Who Named the Daisy? Who Named the Rose? A Roving Dictionary of North American Wild Flowers. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1976.

Foster, Steven and Christopher Hobbs. A Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.

Hill, Lewis and Nancy. The Flower Gardener's Bible. North Adams, MA: Storey Books, 2003.