Marigold Mondays

A bumblebee on a Bonanza Deep Orange marigold

I love marigolds. I think they are some of the most underrated flowers in the garden. I've actually had customers ask me not to put marigolds in the garden.
"But why?!" I'll ask.
"I prefer pastel colors in the garden" is usually the answer.
"What if I add ones that are white or a soft yellow?" knowing all the while that even if I do start espousing all the valuable reasons why marigolds should always be included in part of your vegetable garden, they won't care. They just want it to look pretty and fit in with their landscaping.
I don't maintain other people's gardens for them anymore, opting to help people online and focus on my own garden which suffered all the years I took care of other people's garden's. What is it they say about the cobbler's children? They have no shoes?
Marigolds are hardy flowers which will bloom throughout the summer and well into fall. I find they do better when simply seeded into the garden. Their fragrances attract pollinators into the garden and their root systems emit an enzyme which protect again root eating nematodes. Deadheading helps them to continue to thrive but if you don't do it, it isn't the end of the world. You can even eat them too adding a citrusy flavor to your drink meal!
I personally have never had a problem with mites or any other bugs on my marigolds. I put them in around my root vegetables: carrots, radishes and onions. I feel their roots are well protected with the marigolds around their rows or in between them. The enzyme they emit doing it's job to protect the precious roots.

I love all the colors marigolds come in from white, yellow, orange and red! To me they make the fall garden a truly spectacular place!