Marigolds

    MARIGOLDS 
The Journey from Mexico to America

Today there are dozens of varieties of Marigolds to choose from at your local garden centers and even
more if you decide to start by seeds ordered from catalogs.  

Marigolds are a very popular annual flower native to the New World,  Mexico and Central America.  They were sacred to the Aztec people who attributed magical, religious and medicinal properties to marigolds.   The Aztecs also bred the marigold for increasingly larger blooms.

 In the 1500's, conquistadors brought marigold seeds from Mexico to Spain.  The marigolds were cultivated in Spain and grown in monastery gardens.   In Mexico and Latin America, marigold flowers are still used to decorate household altars to celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  The flower heads are scattered on relatives’ graves which can account for the profusion of marigolds growing in cemeteries.

Marigolds seeds are easy to harvest, store and germinate.
A key factor in their world wide popularity  

From Spain, marigold seeds were transported to France and northern Africa. The taller marigolds, now called African-American, became naturalized in North Africa.

In India marigolds are used during Hindu religious ceremonies.  The marigold flowers are strung together to make garlands to decorate village god statues during festivals.  Garlands of marigold flowers are used to decorate temples, doorways and vehicles, cows and beloved pets.

Temples, houses, vehicles and even cows and beloved family pets
are decorated with marigold garlands during Indian celebrations.

Shortly after the Revolutionary War, three hundred years after leaving Mexico, marigolds were finally introduced to American gardeners.  Marigolds were just one of many plants shipped to the young country from Europe.

In 1915 the time was right for a new flower to make its debut  to the nation. Horticulturist David Burpee, who had inherited his father's company felt that marigolds held promise and decided to feature them in his catalog and funded research.

The pungent aroma of marigolds, especially French marigolds helps deter
unwelcome critters from vegetables gardens. 

Since the 1920's marigold breeding has developed hundreds of new varieties. The odorless marigolds, white marigolds, hybrids and triploids have all been advancements in breeding.

Marigolds are easy to grow from seed.  Plant them in well drained soil with compost and plenty of sunlight.  Watch out for slugs, especially on young plants.

With regular deadheading and basic maintenance marigolds will bloom
 until the first frost of the autumn. 

Happy Gardening,
James