This flower is as unpretentious as decorative. Planting and caring for marigolds in open ground will not be difficult, and even a beginner grower can easily handle it.

Types and varieties of flowers

The assortment of plants is wide, but the color scheme is not so rich: only red, yellow, orange and brown shades prevail. The combination of color tones will make the flowers an adornment of any flower garden.

The birthplace of marigolds is America. There they grow wild from Arizona to Argentina. In Europe, flowers appeared in the 16th century and quickly found many admirers. Marigold received a scientific description and classification thanks to Karl Linnaeus in 1753. Enchanted by the charm of this flower, he gave it the Latin name Tagétes in honor of the Etruscan demigod Tages, grandson of Jupiter. The velvety structure of the petals led to the Russian name.

At the moment, 53 species of this flower are known, some of them are annuals, the rest are perennial. All modern cultural marigolds are between and intraspecific hybrids. The most significant and most often used in breeding are:

Tagetes erecta

The peculiarity of this species is strong, upward-looking stems can grow from 20 to 120 cm, and large terry monophonic flowers, the diameter of which ranges from 5 to 13 cm. The color scheme is all shades of yellow and orange. Not so long ago a group of hybrid varieties with a white color appeared. The most interesting and decorative varieties: the yellow Lemon Queen and the orange Golden Dollar, they grow to 120 cm. Slightly lower are the flowers of the Fantastic series: Gold, Yellow and Orange with the original form of large inflorescences.The Taishan F1 hybrid series with golden, orange and lemon yellow colors and Antigua with all shades of yellow is very interesting. The height of the bushes in these series is not more than 30 cm. It makes an amazing contrast with huge inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter. Very good white with a slightly greenish middle middle-sized Kilimanjaro F1, creamy white Vanilla F1 and completely crumb snow-white Eskimo F1, not growing above 35 cm.

Marigolds rejected (Tagétes patula)

This species cannot boast of high growth - no higher than 40 cm, but it is literally mesmerizing with a combination of different colors and shades in one flower. Their size is not too large - up to 3-4 cm, so they are sometimes called small-colored. They are not always terry, but even such flowers are very decorative. The most interesting varieties: red - Red brocade and Khokhloma, red-orange - Fiery hero and Red hero, brown - Scarlet Sofia, variegated - Cheerful clown and Bolero, orange - Valencia and Petit Orange, yellow - Yellow Jacket and Petite Gold. The Antoshka variety with a yellow cap of tubular flowers bordered by one row of brown reed flowers is very interesting. The Strawberry Blond variety is also noteworthy.

Marigold thin-leaved (Tagétes tenuifolia)

They differ not only in the small size of the flower, but also in very thin, strongly cut leaves. Such a magnificent flowering is not present in any species of these flowers. A small, not more than 40 cm, bush at the time of full development resembles a regular sphere, completely covered with small non-double flowers. The most decorative: Gems - Lemon, Red, Orange and Gold with a contrasting center, Lemon Lulu and Karina orange almost red, Golden yellow Ursula.

There are marigolds that are not bred for beautiful flowers. These are radiant marigolds (Tagétes lucida) or Mexican tarragon. They are not as decorative as everyone’s favorite flowers and are not similar in appearance. The stem up to 80 cm tall is covered with long, whole leaves. Flowers are at the top of the stem. They are simple, yellow, small. The whole plant has a strong aroma resembling tarragon and is used instead. The leaves are dried and added to marinades, meat or fish dishes. You can brew them like tea. From the flowers receive food yellow dye.
At home, in Mexico it is a perennial plant. In our country, he can’t survive the cold winter. You can dig a flower in the fall and transplant into a pot. Caring for perennial marigolds is not difficult. It is enough to pick up a sunny windowsill for them, water and feed them like ordinary indoor flowers. During the winter, the flower can stretch out, it must be cut in half. In spring, the plant is again relocated to the garden.

Varieties of radiant marigolds: Aztec, Rio Foxtrot.

There are other types of marigolds that are used as spice aromatic additives. It:

  • Nelson's marigolds with a strong citrus hue;
  • Lemmon's marigolds, in which the citrus fragrance is combined with the aroma of mint;
  • marigold filipolia with a pronounced smell of anise.

According to the strength of growth, marigolds are divided into several groups:

  • giant - grow above 90 cm;
  • tall - 60-90 cm;
  • srednerosly - from 40 to 60 cm;
  • low - from 20 to 40 cm;
  • dwarfs - not higher than 20 cm.

Terry, semi-terry and simple varieties are distinguished by the type and structure of the flower, which are:

  • clove-like - flower baskets consist of reed flowers with a serrated edge;
  • anemic - the center of the flower basket is made of tubular flowers, along the edge there is one or more rows of reed flowers;
  • Chrysanthemum-like baskets are completely formed by tubular flowers.

Despite the unpretentiousness, these flowers require care. They bloom magnificently only if all the rules of agricultural technology are observed.

How to breed marigolds?

Flowers do not tolerate frost, like warmth.

At temperatures below +1 degrees, young plants die, adults - can withstand its short-term decrease to 0 degrees.But already at +10 and below, the development of plants stops, and the leaves acquire a reddish hue.

Many varieties are very early and bloom after 40-50 days, which allows you to sow them immediately to a permanent place in the open ground. They will bloom in mid-summer, and will delight you with bright colors until the frosts. If you want flowering to be already in early June, you need to grow seedlings.

Sowing seeds in the ground

In order for the seeds to sprout, the soil temperature must be at least +5 degrees. The temperature should be the same at night, during the day - even higher. Before sowing, you need to decide which varieties and how they will be sown. It’s best to make a plan of a workplace, flowerbed or mixborder, on which each plant is marked.

Fresh seeds germinate well. If they lie longer than 2 years, it is better to germinate them, wrapped in a damp cloth, and then in a plastic bag. After 2-3 days, if you keep them in a warm place, they will bend over.

For sowing, rows are made with a depth of about 2.5 cm. They are shed with warm water and sown seeds. The distance between the rows depends on the height of the future plant: for low marigolds, it should be 20 cm, for medium tall - 30, for tall - 40 cm. The same distances should be in the row between plants. Seeds are sown denser, given their not 100% germination. Extra plants can decorate another flower garden or vegetable garden. Marigolds will rise faster if the crops are covered with non-woven covering material.

Planting seeds for seedlings

This method will allow you to get flowering plants much earlier. The timing of sowing depends on the ability to plant plants in the ground. Since the seedling period is longer for tall varieties, they are usually sown in mid-March, low and medium-sized - in late March, early April. Soil for sowing is prepared from peat, humus, sod land and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 0.5. It is frozen in winter, and before sowing it is shed with a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Further stages of cultivation:

  • at the bottom of the box we put a drain of fine pebbles with a layer of 3 cm;
  • fill it with a landing mixture, which we moisten slightly;
  • we make grooves with a depth of 1.5 cm and at the same distance from each other;
  • we spread the seeds 1-2 cm apart;
  • cover them with earth and cover the box with foil;
  • keep warm by spraying the soil from the sprayer once every 2 days.

With the advent of seedlings, we transfer the box to a light and cool window sill. Water as the top layer of the soil dries, feed a couple of times with a weak solution of complete mineral fertilizer. If possible, after the formation of a pair of real leaves, the seedlings are well pecified in separate pots.

Outdoor Marigold Planting

With the onset of heat, it is time for seedlings to move to the flower garden.

Selection of planting material

If seedlings are not grown on their own, but purchased in a store or nursery, you need to know that well-developed seedlings should have at least 7 leaves, a few emerging lateral shoots and buds. Seedlings should not be elongated, stocky and strong with dark green leaves. Varietal preferences depend on the planned flower arrangements.

Soil preparation and site selection

Marigolds can grow in any soil, but in loose, fairly fertile and breathable soil, the result will be better.

Marigolds can not stand the increased moisture of the soil at all, in places where water stagnates, their roots rot and plants die.

The best place for these flowers is sunny. In partial shade, and even more so in complete shadow, they can also exist, but flowering will be sparse. An exception is made only for white-flowered varieties. For them, a lace shadow in the hottest hours is desirable. The soil for plants is prepared in early spring or autumn. When digging, 30 g of full mineral fertilizer with microelements and 0.5 buckets of humus or compost are added to each square meter. It’s good to add 2-3 tbsp. tablespoons of ash. Get involved in fertilizers containing nitrogen should not be.Because of them, plants increase leaf mass to the detriment of flowering.

Planting flowers

As soon as the threat of return frosts passes and warm weather sets in, seedlings are planted in the flower garden. Do this in accordance with a pre-compiled plan, observing the same distances as when sowing seeds in open ground.

Marigold seedlings tolerate transplanting well, even in a flowering state.

A hole is dug for each plant, spilled with warm water and seedlings are planted. It is buried when planting a couple of centimeters to stimulate the formation of additional roots.

Outdoor Marigold Care

He does not create any particular difficulties.

Watering and feeding

Young plants need regular watering. Adults - quite reconcile with short-term drought. Excessive moisture is more likely to harm them - the fibrous root system tends to rot. If water gets on the inflorescences, they can lose their decorativeness, so it is better to water the plants under the root.

The first feeding is timed to the beginning of flowering. It is made soluble complete fertilizer with a reduced rate of nitrogen. If the soil is well seasoned with nutrients before planting, 2 top dressings are enough for a season. Very good marigolds respond to foliar feeding with humate. It can be done every 2 weeks.

Loosening and trimming

Loosening is carried out after watering and rain to a depth of about 5 cm, being careful not to damage the roots of the plant. If the soil around the flowers is mulched, the need for loosening will disappear. Emerging weeds are removed.

Regularly pruned faded flowers, leaving a few pieces for seeds if necessary. Short marigolds sometimes pinch seedlings when planting for better tillering. This procedure may slightly delay flowering, but it will be more plentiful.

How to collect seeds

Marigolds reproduce well by self-sowing. In the spring, it remains only to transplant the extra bushes to another place.

If necessary, you can collect seeds from attracted plants. It is better to choose terry flowers. It must be remembered that several varieties of marigolds planted nearby can be pollinated, so the offspring will be different. Do not collect seeds from hybrid plants. The result will be unpredictable, since in the second generation, the parental characteristics are not repeated.

For collection, it is better to choose fully matured boxes. Seeds from them are poured into paper bags in which they are well stored. The shelf life of seeds is 3-4 years.

Diseases and pests of tagetes

Allocating volatile, marigolds scare away many pests. But sometimes in wet weather they can be annoyed by slugs, which are collected manually. In dry weather, plantings can be affected by a spider mite. They are saved from them by treating plants with infusion of tobacco dust, yarrow, red pepper or garlic. If this does not help, spray the marigolds with Akarin, Fitoverm, Actellik.

In wet weather, especially with thickened landings, marigolds can be affected by gray rot. In this case, Fitosporin or Fundazole will help.

Use in landscape design

Features of these colors allow you to use them when creating any floral arrangement. They will be appropriate on monoclumbers consisting of only one or more species of marigolds. These flowers perfectly combine with many companions better than the contrasting blue, blue, violet, red and white flowers: petunia, lobelia, asters, nasturtium, alissum, salvia, cineraria, left-handed. Short marigolds are one of the most popular border plants, they can be an excellent contrasting spot, revitalizing conifers.

 

Marigolds will be appropriate in the garden of any style. To create flowerbeds of geometric shape, in regular gardens, plants aligned in habitus will do just fine.

In the English landscape garden bright marigolds will certainly find a place. They will be especially good in mixborders and continuous flowering gardens.

 

For a country-style garden, marigolds are just a godsend.In joint plantings with vegetables, they will not only be a decorative element, but also scare away pests, rid the soil of malicious wheatgrass, expel the ubiquitous nematode and wireworm from the site.

Even in a restrained monochrome Japanese garden, you can skillfully emphasize the severity of the landscape with a small spot of marigolds that are not bright in color.

Invite marigold flowers to your flower bed. Even on the most cloudy day they will present a sunny mood.

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