JOBS for the week
the French and African tagetes is height – the French are daintier and low growing, whereas the African are taller with larger flowers.
Beyond that, there is a huge variation in colours – from creamy whites through lemons, oranges, and reds. There are also combinations of colours with frills and stripes, as well as different flower shapes from single to pompon.
Smaller varieties work well in pots, containers and hanging baskets, as well as trimming the edges of paths and borders.
Use the taller marigolds in a mixed border as part of a warm colour scheme. They’re not just pretty faces either – marigolds are widely used in companion planting. This is the practice of using plants alongside crops to help deter pests and diseases. Marigolds are believed to repel aphids and are most often planted with tomato crops. Their flowers also attract hoverflies whose larvae like to hoover up aphids as well.
Their roots contain a natural chemical that repels nematodes so they are sometimes used to clean soil before crop planting. They attract bees and butterflies
They come in many colours and you can add them to salads and soups as a colourful garnish
which help pollinate other flowers and crops – the single open-flowered varieties are the most attractive to beneficial insects.
They make good cut flowers and, because they are so easy to germinate, it’s a fun project for the inexperienced gardener or to encourage young children to get gardening.
And if all that weren’t enough, they’re useful in the kitchen as well. Sprinkle their bright petals on salads and soups as a colourful and zingy garnish.
When dried, the petals can be used as an inexpensive substitute for saffron to colour and flavour dishes – some people even feed marigolds to their hens to get brighter orange yolks.
■ Earth up early potatoes as soon as green shoots appear. By covering the stems you encourage new tubers to grow from them and you also ensure tubers are not exposed to light which would turn them green.
■ Roses are starting to put out fresh foliage – this is a key time to spray against mildew and blackspot, and apply a slow release organic fertiliser at the base for a healthy plant. Tie in climbing roses using figure-of-eight ties.
■ Mulch around box hedging with a well-rotted manure – they have surface roots which will absorb available nutrients. The stronger the plant, the more able it is to fight the dreaded box blight. Give it a light clip to keep in shape.
■ Mulch around spring bulbs that have flowered. This will help keep in moisture and stop them from drying out.
■ Keep bird baths and feeders topped up with water and seed to encourage birds to your garden.
■ Put up wigwams for climbers – sweet peas are ready to be planted at the base.
■ Start sowing runner beans and pumpkins indoors which will be ready for planting outside after the last frost, in May.