Time Travel with Marigolds

“Youth! Youth! How buoyant are thy hopes! They turn, like marigolds, toward the sunny side.” 
                                                                                            - Jean Ingelow

Marigolds and Solidago

When was the last time you held a bunch of Marigolds?

Visually, these flowers pack such an impact, yet it is the scent that gets me.  Marigolds are a flower which many people grew up around.  In Rhode Island, my Mom planted them as a thick boarder in our vegetable garden, and my grandmother in northern New Jersey had them along her side walk.

Snaps and marigolds!

Taking in the scent of a marigold is like time traveling. Letting the fragrance tingle your senses, I swear I can hear the other kids in the neighborhood hopping on their bikes for a summer adventure. I can almost taste the big, ripe tomatoes, which the marigolds were planted to protect, even though we know today, this is largely a myth.


Marigolds originated in Mexico, and were a huge part of ancient Aztec culture, when the Spanish explores came, they took the seeds back to Europe and began a diaspora of these gold beauties, which became known as “Mary’s Gold” after the Virgin Mary, and this name evolved into Marigold.

Until last week, I hadn’t had a bunch all to myself in a few seasons.  Our Baja farm is producing big numbers of tall marigolds, bred specifically for floral, as opposed to the garden varieties of our youth.

Our Baja team has paired these gorgeous marigolds with other crops we grow outside of Ensenada., such as Snapdragons, Bells of Ireland, Solidago and Gomphrena.  In design terms, you could say that what “grows together, goes together.” They share a love of the light, well-drained soil of the Baja Peninsula and the textures complement each other wonderfully.

From left to right: Marigolds with Gomphrena, Marigolds with Solidago, Marigolds with Bells of Ireland, and Marigolds with Snapdragons.

Marigolds are the classic flower of October, reaching their pinnacle for Halloween, Dia de Los Muertos and All Saints Day. Our plantings have been timed to correspond with consumer demand, so we have marigolds available today, and we will have increasing numbers up until the peak in late October.
 
Many people think of marigolds as a short flower, yet, if you know Sun Valley, we don’t do any flowers short. The grade on these is 24 inches or 60 cm.  Yes, these are not your parents marigold, they are bred to look amazing in consumer bunches or add a huge amount of fall flare to any bouquet.

1 stem Marigold, 3 Snapdragons, 3 Gomphrena

Right now it the time to get some marigolds, and do some time traveling of your own.