This weekend was rainy and rather chilly- a sign of the weather that is in our near future. I am not ready to succumb to the gloom that will inevitably be settling in around us here soon and neither is my garden. Throughout the dreary rain an annual shined and would not let the weather stop it from glowing bright in my herb garden.
This annual is an Orange Gem Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) and I have been growing it from seed for several years now. I love the little flowers it has along with their citrus like scent. It makes a great little plant for the front border of my herb garden. At times it has even reseeded for me which I always welcome. I might mention that is has never aggressively reseeded like a few other plants I know (think my latest posts on Cosmos and Mullein).
The cute little flowers on this marigold are also edible. I have scattered them on salads before but that is about as far as my experimenting with its culinary attributes have gone. I am sure it would make a lovely addition to an herb vinegar recipe. The flowers might lend a nice color to the vinegar as they infuse.
As its pictures show this one little plant is really packing a punch right now. I’m going to keep enjoying its cheerfulness while I still can.
For anyone interested, seeds for this Marigold can be found at Richters. The link will take you directly to their page for the Citrus Marigolds which include the Orange Gem as well as a Lemon Gem and a Red Gem.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
That Orange Gem Marigold is one I would be willing to grow in my garden. I always think of the ones my Grandma grew when I think of Marigolds. But this one is quite pretty, thanks for the link. I want to see the other colors too.
Hi Racquel,
I forgot to mention in the post that these Marigolds also have really nice foliage as you can see in their picture. They are a nice little filler plant. -Cynthia
That is a really beautiful marigold. And who can resist the scent of citrus?
). That is another reason why I like them so much. -Cynthia
Hi Daphne,
I couldn’t agree more. These do not have the stinky smell that most Marigolds have (I apologize to anyone that likes the smell of traditional Marigolds
What dainty little marigolds. They’re very lovely. Mine are still going strong too, one of the few I’ve got left up here!
Hi Cinj,
I like thinking of them as being dainty! -Cynthia
They are rather dainty aren’t they?
Simply charming!
Thank you Sheila!
-Cynthia
So cute! Love the color too – my mom gives me Lemon Gem every year – it gets pretty tall, maybe taller than your orange variety? I think the smell is still kind of strong but not as strong as regular marigolds. I always like having some of the bigger ones around to give to people who celebrate Dia de los Muertos, if they last that long. Is that an herb bed yours are in?
Hi Karen,
My Orange gem usually stays pretty small- about a foot and a half at the most. It is reallly compact which is one of the reasons I love it so much! -Cynthia
Yes, it is an herb bed they are growing in!
That is really adorable! I’m thinking that would even do well in a container! That’s one to write down, for me.
Hi Nancy,
-Cynthia
They do very well in containers! I grew some in containers last year and they just kept blooming and blooming. They are really easy to grow to.