Beautifully simple marigolds are a summer staple in our annual gardens. Marigolds have many positive qualities and present few problems for the gardener. No other plant is faster or easier to grow. Not only do they spread nicely in the garden over the summer, but they are also quite long lasting when used as cut flowers. An especially nice characteristic of marigolds is that they attract butterflies throughout the season.
Marigolds are classically one of the most unappreciated flowers of the summer season. Many people find them boring and only marginally attractive. However, those of us who love them – especially the dwarf marigold varieties that grow to only about 12” in height – appreciate them as some of the most beautiful, as well as tolerant and hardy, annuals to grace a summer garden.
When people think of marigolds, they usually think of small yellow flowers. However, marigolds bloom in several color variations: classic yellow, yellow/orange, light orange, deep golden, russet, and red/yellow. Occasionally you can even find them in cream and white. Dual-color marigolds grow in different bi-color patterns, expanding the variety even further. Some are equally divided in color, giving a top/bottom layering impression; some are simply tipped at the edges of the flower petals with either the dark or the light color. There are also those that seem to be dominated by either the dark or the light color and lightly flecked with the second color throughout the body of the flower.
The flower heads of different marigold varieties are also of interest. Some of the flowers are quite delicate with only one or two rows of petals. Others look like bon-bons, with rounded (almost bushy) flower heads. Some of these bon-bon varieties can grow quite large and lovely.
In order for your marigolds to flower throughout the summer season, be sure to pinch off the dead flowers at the bud. Marigolds require full sun and grow best in rich, well-drained soil, but are tolerant of most soils. It is fairly well known that insects do not like marigolds, and they are often used around vegetable plants to help deter and repel them. However, slugs and snails do enjoy marigolds and can decimate the plants overnight – so if you see them, get rid of them.
Even though there are some who find marigolds boring and only marginally attractive, there are those of us who love them and appreciate them as some of the most beautiful, as well as tolerant and hardy, annuals to grace our summer gardens. Their positive qualities and relatively few problems, compared to other annuals, are priceless to the avid (or not so avid) gardener. Fast and easy to grow, they will grace your garden throughout the summer and add a lovely touch of color to your cut-flower arrangements. And don’t forget the butterflies. There are few things more peaceful on a pleasant summer afternoon than watching the soft fluttering of butterflies around the marigolds in your garden.
©2010, KH Adams, Trumbull, CT