Marigolds are a most versatile and resilient flowering plant that bee's love and many garden pests cannot stand. Marigold, also known as African Marigold, are annuals from the Asteraceae family. The genus is Tagetes and species is T. erecta. The most popular varieties are bright orange and yellow - creating their namesake color. You will often see Marigolds strung on string and placed all over during Indian & South Asian celebrations. Additionally, Marigolds are used in November during Mexican Day of the Dead holidays. For garden use - Marigolds are known to keep away mosquitos and rodents, and always add a strong pop of color to any landscape.

Upon receiving your Marigold plugs, like all plugs, they need to harden off with real sunlight and temperature changes for a few days and up to 1 week. Plant well after the last frost when the soil is warm - this is the same time one would also plant zinnias and celosia. Marigolds like a moist (but not saturated) clay-like soil - they also like some additional nutrition - so plan to add compost or fertilizer to satisfy their hunger. It is wise to select a sunny location and place 2 layers of netting to support these top-heavy blooms.

If you are growing for stems and blooms, plan to pinch to get a more robust and bushy plant. For garden, plants can be planted 6"-12" apart; in the field grown plants should be planted a minimum of 8" apart allowing the plant more space to grow both upward and outward. Plant Marigolds deeper than usual - they will send down additional root systems from the buried stem. Marigold like it warm - 79-90F through the day with nights around 68F. This means they are classically grown in Summer months, in full sun and suitable for most zones. While marigolds are quite easy to grow, keep an eye out for borers, bud worms, leaf chewers, spider mites and thrips. Potential diseases include alternaria, blight, botrytis, leaf spot, phytophthora and pythium. Disease often arises from soggy soil and wet leaves, so planning for lots of sun should keep these pests away.

Marigolds have a long vase life of up to 2 weeks. Immediately place in lots of fresh water to preserve these bright oranges additional to your garden. Marigolds also dry quite nicely - like other dried flowers, hang the bunches upside down for optimal use to be strung on string or enveloped into a Fall themed wreath. As previously mentioned, these bright orange bursts are often used to celebrate the Autumn months and they like everything about warm soil, warm days, warm nights. Conveniently one can also find Marigolds in varying shades of yellow and even white! A pop of color is always welcome as the season is waning and Marigold’s are a great contender for a hero pom pom or focal flower in any bouquet.