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Marigolds bring a beautiful splash of gold to the yard. It’s what turns an ordinary vegetable garden into a beautiful place you can be proud of and show off to your coworkers. But the marigold has more benefits than just what you can see, which is why it is one of the most popular yard plants in the world.
Want to be a part of this popular trend? Still not sure if you want to grow marigolds? Here are a few reasons why you should get some gold for yourself.
Marigolds are very hardy, so they are very easy to take care of. They don’t get eaten by bugs, can stand up to drought well, and can even do pretty well in cold temps. They are also not too expensive and won’t break your budget.
They come in different shades of red, white, gold, and orange that can light up any garden overnight. They also look great, especially against a wall of green veggies and leaves. You can see the complex patterns on their leaves from a long way away, and they keep your attention the whole time.
They are grown as fence plants not just because they look nice, but also because they keep pests away. They give off a smell that is just a little bit unpleasant, which keeps pests away and keeps your garden safe. But rats can get in and hurt them. They also make a chemical that keeps root-knot nematodes (also called worms) from eating the roots. This chemical makes the worms sick, so they can’t damage the roots of plants.
When the flowers bloom, what do you do with them? You can bring cut flowers to your room or office because they are hardy and can live for a long time. They are also given as gifts during religious ceremonies, and the best flowers to use are those from your own yard.
When you grow marigolds with other plants, you can see how well they work together. French marigolds go well with tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts, among other things. Their strong smell hides the smells of other plants and keeps pests away from plants.
Even though everything turns orange and pretty in the fall, it can get pretty sad as winter comes and all the gardens are stripped bare. Marigolds, on the other hand, can live well into the fall and sometimes even through the winter. So, even in the dead of winter, the yard will always have some color. There is no better way to make you feel better.
Marigolds may be everywhere, but that shouldn’t make you think they aren’t beautiful or full of life. They are the workhorses of our gardens. They bring in fans and people who are amazed by them, and they also keep your green space safe. They will bring you a lot of happiness.
Annual flowers can be hard to grow because they often need a lot of care, like being watered often. Most types of marigolds, though, can handle drought, so you won’t have to worry about your flower patch when there’s a heat wave. Once they are established, hardy flowers can handle changes in weather and tend to keep blooming well into the fall. Most of the time, they are the last ones to die at the end of the planting season.
Marigolds are easy to grow from seed, unlike some other ornamentals that need to be grown from plants or by letting the seeds sit out for a while. Some types of marigolds also easily spread their own seeds, so you can get a new batch of flowers in the spring without doing much work. If you don’t want your marigold flowers to spread their own seeds, cut off the flower heads before they can do so.
Marigolds also do well in pots, so you can have beautiful, colorful plants whether you have a big yard or just a few pots on a balcony.
Pollinators like bees and butterflies are very important to our environment. By planting flowers like marigolds, you make sure that bees have easy access to food. If you grow vegetables like squash and tomatoes, you need insects to help them grow.
Many gardeners think that planting marigolds will keep away bugs that eat plants, but study shows that marigolds may not be so good at keeping cabbage worms and other pests away after all.
But a 2019 study shows that a strong-smelling terpene found in French marigold plants may help keep whiteflies away from tomato plants in the area. The pretty flowers also tend to bring in good bugs, which may help keep pests in check.
There is also proof that marigolds can help reduce the number of nematodes. Nematodes are parasites that live in the soil. They can hurt plant growth and sometimes kill plants and fields, so it’s a good idea to keep their numbers low.
Marigolds might also work as a trap crop for some kinds of pests. A trap crop is one that pests are drawn to in order to keep them away from other crops that are more valuable.
For example, slugs love marigolds, so putting a ring of “sacrificial” marigolds around the edges of a bed might help protect your crops. The marigolds will attract the slugs. Even though you’ll probably lose some plants, you can find them on the marigolds and pick them up before they do too much damage to your other plants.
Even if you don’t think of yourself as a flower farmer, you should plant more than just a few marigolds in your vegetable yard. Make the most of your garden rows by putting marigolds in holes and along the edges. These plants will keep pests away and attract pollinators to your garden.
Change up the marigolds in your yard, and you might find a type that you love. Marigolds are pretty plants that don’t attract pests and grow best in temperate areas. If you plant some marigolds in your garden, you can feel a little better knowing that even the worst garden pests will stay away from your beautiful flower patch.
