Featured Plant of the Week: Marigold
Friday September 5, 2008
Sometimes the simplest flowers make the best garden plants. Who hasn’t grown a marigold? They’re so common in garden centers we barely notice them. Yet they grow great everywhere and pretty much all season long. All they ask is some deadheading and they’ll carry you right through to the fall, when their golden colors are the perfect seasonal accent. They’re also great for attracting beneficial insects and for deterring rabbits. So to all those garden snobs who think plants like petunias, geraniums, salvia and marigolds are too pedestrian for their garden beds, think again. Many of us still love and grow marigolds.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
If you live in a state that has the insect called earwigs don’t plant marigolds,they draw earwigs.
I planted 50 marigold plants that I started in the house from seeds I got from deadheading last year. I read that they keep potato bugs away. They don’t. The marigolds even had them crawling all over them!!!
I didn’t know that about earwigs. I’ll have to keep an eye out. I guess there is no cure all. BTW - is there are state without earwigs? Must be nice.
Earwigs and Slugs LOVE marigolds!!!!! I had to put slug and earwig destroyer all around my plants as they will strip them overnight… Also got a really neat slug trap from Lee Valley that REALLY works.
I have been growing marigolds for at least 10 years, saving the seeds for the following year and have never had an insect issue until this year - the Japanese beetles have been attracted to the ones growing near my Zinnia which have been attacked by the beetles.
i just love the fun facts im getting on this site! my flowers are SPECTACULAR this growing season even my marajuana!!:)