The Magic of Marigolds

Marigolds can bring a lot of color and cheer to your garden, but they happen to have a lot of other uses. Bees and children love them, and depending on the type of marigold you’re planting, nematodes and other garden pests eschew them or are confused by them.

There are two distinct flowers groups that are called Marigolds—the fluffy erect African marigold (T. erecta) and the sprawling French marigold T. patula). Both types of marigold suppress nematodes (microscopic worms that leech the energy out of the roots of your plants), but the French variety is repels a wide range of nematodes and is therefore the companion plant of choice for many vegetable gardeners.

But repelling nematodes isn’t all that marigolds do. The scent of the marigold confuses many other pests, the cabbage moth among them. This makes them great for interplanting with cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Don’t just plant one or two, however. Planting clumps here and there or using them for borders will ensure the best coverage.

On the flip side, marigolds also attract slugs. Now, you might think this is a bad thing but consider—would you rather have the slugs eat your garden produce or your marigold. Well, obviously neither one, but if you had to lure the slugs away somehow, why not with a bouquet of beautiful color? And if love strawberries and can’t stand when the slugs get to the ripe, luscious berries first, simply marigolds with or near your strawberries. For added benefit, place your slug traps next to the marigolds too!

As well as protecting strawberries from slugs marigolds will deter ants allows you to harvest more strawberries without the risk of having half eaten fruit!

So if you’re looking to add some color and cheer to your garden and  repel garden pests at the same time, bright, sunny marigold is a great choice. (You’ll even get some fantastic cut flowers out of it!)  Just beware, some forms of the flower calendula are also called ‘marigold’, and while calendula is a great flower to have in the garden, it has very different uses.