In Praise of An Un-Hip Flower

So why are marigolds “out” in this country?  Too common? Too orange? Too easy to grow?  The marigold, used elsewhere in the world for everything from wedding garlands to dyes and cooking, has become an un-hip flower in the US. Except, perhaps, for planting in veggie gardens where people mistakenly believe that it repels insects.  (Plant them because they look nice and add color to your veggie garden, plant them to sprinkle the petals on your salads, plant them because they smell like summer, but forget about planting them to repel bugs. Come to the horticultural conference listed below and find out why! ) Marigolds are one of the easiest annuals to grow unless you have a big slug population. And let me tell you that the color orange is becoming quite hot, so give up on your “blue and pink only” garden and get with it!  Have fun with this plant - make strings of marigolds for your next party or to entertain the grandchildren. Interplant orange marigolds with Verbena bonariensis or ‘Blue Horizon’ Ageratum and stand back and enjoy.  And sure, plant them in the kitchen garden because they are edible and it’s become traditional.  Yellow, orange or rusty-red, make them “in” again.