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Merry
Marigolds
By
Harvest McCampbell
The name "marigold" originally
belonged to several early blooming English plants; two that may
be familiar are calendula and marsh marigold. These plants were
often in bloom during the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary (March
25). In the early days of this celebration these spring flowers
provided gold color to Mary's celebration, thus they came to be
called Mary's Gold, which was later shortened to marigold.
Today,
when we think of marigolds it is the bright, frilly, yellow, orange,
and gold flowers that belong to the Tagetes genus that are most
likely to come to mind. These Mexican natives bloom in yards and
gardens through summer and fall here in Northern California. Like
the marigolds whose name they borrowed they are sacred to the
Native people of their homeland. Since pre-Columbian times Aztec
Indians associated these flowers with celebrations of their beloved
dead. The scent of marigold was believed to form a spiritual path
that the souls of deceased family members could follow. The flowers
were much used for decorating graves, alters, especially during
the holiday that is now called the Day of the Dead. Over the centuries
the lines between the ancient and modern religions have blurred;
Mexican marigolds are now just as likely to be associated with
the Virgin Mary as the original calendula and marsh marigold.
Rich
with history and color, marigolds will soon be available in six
packs at nurseries and garden centers. They like lots of sun and
can be planted out as soon as the danger of frost has past. There
are a number of varieties of marigolds available, some going by
names such as African and French. These names were developed by
the nursery industry to make their offerings seem more exotic
and sophisticated, as if marigolds did not all ready have enough
mystique of their own.
The
African or Aztec Marigold (Tagetes erecta) is not only
bold and beautiful the flowers are considered medicinal. These
plants grow up to two feet tall and their sturdy yellow flowers
are excellent in arrangements. The non-hybrid form commonly sold
as Cracker Jack is rich in the anti-oxidant "lutein." Lutein is
considered especially helpful for protecting the eyes from the
ravages of sun and aging. Marigold flowers were once routinely
fed to chickens because the lutein content gave the yolks and
the chicken skin a rich color. Research on dietary supplementation
with lutein and on the amount of lutein present in marigold flowers
is still in progress. However, if you decide to give your Cracker
Jack marigolds the taste test, tossing them into an occasional
cup of tea or adding them to a salad is not likely to hurt a thing;
people have been eating them for thousands of years.
French
marigolds (Tagetes patula) produce small colorful flowers
on neat compact plants. The flowers are available in shades of
orange, bronze, maroon, and yellow. Popular with fans of heirloom
flowers, these are the ones that have that strong marigold scent
you may remember from Grandma's flower bed. Modern hybrids and
cultivars have been developed to minimize that characteristic
marigold scent, but for organic gardeners, the stinkier the better.
The smell is caused by a chemical known as "a-terthienyl;" it
lends a natural insecticidal property to these small marigolds.
Many organic gardeners use French marigolds as companion plants
to reduce nematode damage. Nematodes are microscopic worms that
can build up in the soil under certain conditions. When their
infestation becomes severe they can damage crops and reduce garden
yield. There have been studies that show that French marigolds
also reduce infestations of cabbage worms, while at the same time
they attract beneficial insects to the garden.
Mexican
or sweet marigold (Tagetes lucida) is sometimes sold as
Mexican or Spanish tarragon. In the kitchen it is used as a seasoning
anywhere its sweet spicy flavor will bring advantage. While most
marigolds have fancy lacy or scalloped leaves, Mexican marigold
has narrow willow shaped leaves. These plants can grow up to 3
feet tall, if they are happy, and they often produce single bright
yellow flowers late in fall. Like all other marigolds, they will
not make it through our winters and must be replanted every year.
Spring seems to have sprung! Any time now you can start checking
out local garden centers and nurseries for a selection of colorful
marigolds. They can be tucked into the garden in any sunny spot.
While, like most plants, they will do best if they have some nice
loamy soil to sink their toes in, they will adapt to most any soil
you have to offer. They do need to be kept evenly moist for the
first 3 weeks after planting. After that they will survive occasional
benign neglect. Keep an eye on your marigolds though, if it gets
too hot and dry they will show you their need for water by looking
sad and droopy.
Once
your flowers have begun blooming you will have to decide if you
want to "dead-head" so your plants will produce more flowers or
if you want to let them produce seed for fall and next spring.
If your plants are hybrids the seeds may not be worth saving.
Many hybrid marigolds do not produce fertile seeds. Dead- heading
involves removing the spent flower heads from the plants. It stimulates
dormant buds to grow and produce more flowers. However, if you
can't be bothered with saving seed or with dead heading your marigolds
might surprise you by producing volunteers next year all on their
own.
Marigolds
are also available as seed. The seeds like to be between 75 and
80 degrees to germinate. You can either wait until summer to sow
the seed in the warmest spot in the garden or start them a little
later this spring in six packs that you bring in at night until
the young plants have three or four leaves. If you have a nice
warm window, a special heating mat for starting seeds, or another
really warm spot you can start seeds now. Just about the time
they are ready to plant in the garden, the weather should be warm
enough for them to thrive.
Marigold
seeds are commonly available almost everywhere seeds are sold.
If you have trouble finding the non-hybrid varieties mentioned
here check out Richters Herbs. You can find them on line at: http://www.Richters.com
or call to request a catalog: 905-640-6677.
That's all for now, but say tuned,
next time we will be talking about some very colorful and delicious
beans. Meanwhile you can find me out in the garden getting sun-burnt
while I am Digging the Dirt.
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