Forum home› Plants

Are French Marigolds still in 'Vogue'?

Secret SquirrelSecret Squirrel Posts: 533
in Plants

If French Marigolds were to hold a dinner party they would have prawn cocktails for starters and cherry trifle for desert. These were once the fashionable plants of the 70's. But were do they stand now? No mention in any gardening magazine articles. Yet these plants will with stand drought and flood. They self seed in abundance and are every so easy to germinate.

Apparently they have a scent that cats don't like and have been know to keep other nasty leaf munching insects away from other plants.

They are truly the 'Four Legged Friend' of the plant world, they will never let you down. I know this year will be the year of the Poppy, but lets not forget the French Marigold. I'll be sowing my four trays worth on the windowsills at the end of February.

«13

Posts

  • Lupin 1Lupin 1 Posts: 8,916

    Don't really like them, but buy a few to put in GH to camouflage smell of tomatoes so less aphids.

  • Pottie PamPottie Pam Posts: 887

    Hi Mark,

     I admit I don't really like French Marigolds buy I do plant them in the greenhouse with the tomatoes. They are supposed to keep whitefly away and I've never had it since .

  • Pottie PamPottie Pam Posts: 887

     Oh Kef  got in there first.

  • Pottie PamPottie Pam Posts: 887

    Still like prawn cocktail and another 70's classic 'Black Forest Gateau'.

  • Lupin 1Lupin 1 Posts: 8,916

    PP partial to Black Forest G...do any plants smell like it?  I wonder. Chocolate cosmos not exactly there. image

  • Forester2Forester2 Posts: 1,477

    I must admit I'm not too keen on French marigolds, but much prefer the 'pot' marigolds as they are more 'cottagey'. 

  • Fluffy CloudFluffy Cloud Posts: 200

    I have the French Marigold plants every year...they self seed. They do add a touch of colour!!

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 13,244

    I am with Forester, I like Calendula [ pot marigolds ] they fit in very well in a hot border i have each year and have a long flowering season. I usually sow the seeds in a cold greenhouse in mid February.

    There are ashtrays of emulsion,
    for the fag ends of the aristocracy.

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,827

    I much prefer the softer forms and colours of calendula than French marigolds and tagetes which, for me, have harsh, hard colours.   I receive a small tray of tagetes from a friend every year and plant them in the veggie plot to help ward off nasties.   They definitely don't fit in the rest of my garden.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • chickychicky Posts: 10,325

    Me too image Pots in the greenhouse to keep the bugs away from the tomatoes - but nowhere else.  Haven't got any tank tops in the wardrobe either.

    however, black forest gateaux ..... Now you're talkingimage

Sign In or Register to comment.