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