French Marigold

Did you know

• Despite the name, French marigolds aren't French at all—they're Mexican wildflowers that French monks brought to Europe in the 1600s after Spanish conquistadors first sent them home.
• Marigold roots release thiophenes, natural compounds that kill nematodes (parasitic soil worms)—gardeners plant them between vegetable rows as a living pesticide.
• Their pungent smell repels whiteflies, tomato hornworms, and even rabbits—they're the most popular companion plant in vegetable gardens around the world.
• Tagetes flowers were sacred to the Aztecs, who called them 'cempasuchil' and used them in death rituals—the modern Mexican Day of the Dead is unimaginable without marigolds.
• The flowers are completely edible with a slightly citrus-and-pepper taste—they're a traditional saffron substitute in Georgia (the country), where they're called 'Imeretian saffron.'

Color meanings

Uses

• Companion planting
• Container gardens
• Edible flowers
• Bedding plants