Marigolds

Marigolds are fuss-free, quick-growing, flowers that will bring a bright and cheerful tone to any flower beds, borders or containers. They cope with the heat even during the hottest time of the year. Marigolds are relatively drought tolerant, needing regular but not excessive watering.

The flowers are edible and you can use the leaves in insect-repelling sprays. Marigold roots produce a substance (alpha-terphenyl) that suppresses the growth of plant-parasitic nematodes and other organisms such as fungi, bacteria, insects and some viruses. A good, all-round garden citizen, then.

There are two types of marigolds, and each has their charm and use in the garden.

African Marigolds

Tagetes erecta is commonly known as the African marigold or Mexican marigold. They have large double flower heads that are ball shaped. Most varieties are 30 – 40cm high, carrying the round heads above dark green leaves on sturdy, compact plants that always look lush and healthy.

In addition to yellow, gold and orange, there is a creamy-white variety called ‘Vanilla’. They are best used as a bedding and landscape plant, massed in front of taller perennials like salvias, pentas, ornamental millets, grasses and shrubs.

French Marigolds

French marigolds (Tagetes patula) have a variety of flower shapes: anemone, frilly doubles and crested doubles. The anemone type is the showiest, with a wide range of colours, the prettiest being mahogany edged with yellow or golden-yellow tipped with red.

The double-crested varieties have larger frilly flowers that come closest to the pom-pom shape. Novelties are ‘Fireball’ and ‘Strawberry Blonde’ that produce multicolour blooms on the same plant. Most French marigolds grow 25cm high and wide but there are very compact dwarf varieties that stay 15cm high and wide and are very heat tolerant.

French marigolds are good edging and border plants for smaller spaces and can be used en masse as bedding plants. They combine well with angelonias, alyssums, bedding salvias, felicias, petunias and vincas. They are durable, rewarding container plants that don’t overwhelm other plants in a mixed container.

Growing tips

• Plant in full sun, in soil that drains well. Marigolds grow in any type of garden soil. Enrich with compost before planting.
• Water deeply once or twice a week in summer, depending on the soil. Keep in mind that shallow watering encourages the roots to stay near the surface. This makes plants less drought tolerant.
• Space plants 15 – 20cm apart so that the leaves can dry out after watering or rain. Leaves that stay wet become susceptible to fungal disease.
• During hot and dry conditions, watch out for pests and water more regularly because marigolds are susceptible to pests and diseases when suffering from extreme heat stress.
• Deadhead African marigolds to encourage quicker repeat flowering.
• Fertilise with a high-potassium fertiliser like 3:1: 5 or 5:1:5 after cutting back to give plants a boost.

Cultural Uses

Marigolds originated in Mexico and have been in India for over 350 years. In India, about 60 quintals of marigold flowers are used every day during the Maha Kumbh festival alongside the Ganges River in India. 60 quintals is the equivalent of 6000kg (1 quintal is equal to 100kg)

Most of the flowers end up at the bottom of the river as pilgrims wearing marigold garlands bathe in the river, and also make offerings of marigold flowers to the river. Approximately 20 – 25 marigold flowers make up 1kg, and prices vary from R15 – R50/kg, depending on the quality and demand.

‘Genda’ is the common name used for marigolds in India, and they always have a prominent place at marriages, festivals and other religious gatherings.

In Mexico, marigolds play a key role in the annual Dia de los Muertos festival. The flowers are used to decorate altars, known as ‘ofrendas’. It is believed that the marigolds help guide the spirits of the departed to the world of the living during the celebrations.

The Aztecs used marigolds for centuries as a source of healing and in sacred festivals. They used them for everything from healing people who survived being struck by lightning to curing otherwise overwhelming hiccups.

Marigold facts

The name ‘marigold’ is said to come from ‘Mary’s Gold’, after the Mother Mary. Marigold used to be the common name of calendulas, before the tagetes plant made its way from the Americas to Europe and made the ‘marigold’ name its own.

Their dried flowers have been used as a saffron substitute and fed to chickens to make their flesh and eggs’ yolks a more appealing yellow.

The dried petals also make a gorgeous golden-coloured tea.