Evening star., 1948-01-18
F arm and Garden
Marigolds' Are Easy to Grow
These Colorful Flowers Are Rated
High Among Popular Annuals
BY w. n. Younqman

Youngman
double forms there is q group COM
monty referred to as dwarf French.
These low-growing varieties (from
6 to 10 inches) are useful for edg-
ings and for mass effects. Most Of
the French varieties are double,
although q newcomer, fash, is o
single.
The French type marigo1ds are
especially long lasting as cut flowers,
which makes them most useful for
the small gardens This. combined
with their free Towering over q
long season, accounts for their popv
|ularity. The foliage has q pungent
odor which is, to many, less objec-
tionable than that of the tall
African type.
Most Useful Is Edging.
A third species, Tagetes signata
pumila, which Is sometimes called
Tagetes, Mexican marigold or
striped marigold, should be more
widely planted. for it Is little gem.
The dwarf plants, 6 to 10 inches
in height, are covered all summer
with small golden -orange flowers,
and thus are most useful as an edg-
ing.
Other species, r. tenuifolia and
lucida, are seldom grown. The for
mer is tall-growing plant with few
petals to its flowers. The latter,
sometimes called the sweet-scented
marigold, is a perennial, although
lit may be treated as an annual. The
small orange-yellow flowers are pro-
duced in terminal clusters on plants
about 18 inches in height.
Marigolds are long lasting as cut
flowers, especially the French group.
A single flower may be worn in
the coat lapel all day without
obvious whiting. In arrangements
lit is desirable to strip the lower
foliage as 1t quickly decays when
submerged and produces an often
sive odor.
The culture Of the marigold is
quite simple. They will flower In
eight to 10 weeks from seed sown
out-of-doors in April. For earlier
bloom the seeds should be started
indoors, the seeding transplanted
in late April or early May. The soil
should not be too rich, especially
for the French type, as this may
encourage the growth of foliage and
submerge the bloom. The tall Afri-
can varieties should be staked to
prevent lodging (blown-over). Most
gardeners do not give their mari
gold plants sufficient room to grow.
The larger varieties need two to
three feet, while the French should
be spaced Is to IS inches apart.
The dwarf varieties, when employed
as an edging, need from eight to
10 inches.
A Suggestion List.
The following list of varieties is
only suggestion as there are new
ones to be tried each year.
Chrysanthemum howered:
Limelight-soft primrose yellow
Goldsmith-golden orange
Mammoth NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
yellow supreme-lemon yellow
sBuff Beauty-Golden bun
sBurpee Gold-bright orange
sMsyling-golden primrose
Golden West-deep orange
pnssn Sunset eisntsVshades Of orange and
soriois- Golden yellow
Tetra-deep orange, large u
Tall, single: French
Filming ami 81 FiFsM5Dat'srn' ,,e5 Of red 'nd vel
WiidfireNseariet to yellow combinations,
1920 inches tall, double .., !
HI H.rmony.,solden orange and reddish
Josephine--gold and brown
Red so,d and 500 GodSomSo'na''ons insS Of REQ anu
Dwarf. di double: tS- AVN
sprylyeilow and mahogsny' inch
Scarlet Glow-deep. scarlet turning to
DtsTf ssasfssssl Rsssl saea and gold,
Yellow. Pyemy.lemon yelllos., Q irch
SunkiSt-deep orange. tnch
Mexican (Tagetes SiEnata Pumila).
Golden Ring-single, golden orange, 10
Gnome-single, orange, inch
Odorless foliage.
Because of the wide variation in
habit of growth and flower forma-
ton 1t is possible to have most
interesting garden of marigolds.
The taller species make admirable
background paintings, the interme-
dates and lower r-growing in the
foreground and the dwarfs are suit
able for edgings. The flower forms
ball, chrysanthemum, carnation,
crested, dahlia, doubles and singles,
etc.-give almost as wide a range
as may be found In the usual COM
bination of garden flowers. The
color range, however, is not as great
as In other fiowers-ranging from
pale lemon yellow through golden
to the reds.