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Marigolds - it is probably difficult to find a person who has never seen these flowers in their life. If you are practical and like to combine business with pleasure, then these flowers are a real find for you. Indeed, in addition to the cheerful and sunny mood that they are able to radiate by their very appearance, marigolds can help you protect your garden from harmful representatives of the animal kingdom, cure various diseases and improve the taste of many culinary dishes. Among marigolds you can find very tiny bushes, no more than 15 cm in height, and garden giants, reaching a height of 120 cm.
Marigolds erecta are the largest representatives of the numerous genus of marigolds. These are the ones that will be discussed in this article.
History of the name
Erect marigolds are also sometimes called African marigolds, although the etymology of this popular name is very confusing.Indeed, by their origin, absolutely all species of marigolds known in nature come from the American continent. Why African?
But a related species of rejected marigolds is popularly called French marigolds. The fact is that after the conquest of America, these flowers initially came to Europe, and more precisely, to France in the 16th century. And from there they settled throughout Europe, and then penetrated into Russia. Heat-loving flowers that do not tolerate frost caused Russian gardeners to associate with distant, hot Africa, and all marigolds were originally called African marigolds. A little later, the rejected marigolds began to be called French, while the erect marigolds retained their former name.
Description of plants
Marigolds erecta belong to typically annual herbaceous plants for open ground. They form powerful, erect stems with a clearly defined central shoot. With age, the main stem becomes woody at the base. The height of plants can be from 30 to 120 cm, but even low-growing flowers are very strong. The side shoots are also directed upward, which is how they differ, for example, from rejected marigolds.
The leaves are quite large, pinnately divided with sharp lanceolate lobes with jagged edges. Their color can vary from light to dark green. Usually the leaves are arranged in a regular order.
The inflorescences of marigold erecta are formed on long peduncles, and their size can range from 7 to 15 cm in diameter. They are usually solitary and have a double, less often semi-double, shape.
They bloom on average 2 - 3 months after sowing the seeds.Among the shades of marigold erect flowers are white, cream, yellow and orange. They are distinguished by the predominantly monochromatic color of the inflorescences, in contrast to the same rejected marigolds. There are about 300 seeds in 1 gram, the germination of which lasts only 1-2 years. Seeds can begin to be collected 35-40 days after the start of flowering.
Classification of marigolds
Marigold bushes are often classified by height.
There are:
- Low-growing, up to 45 cm in height;
- Medium, from 45 to 60 cm;
- Tall, from 60 to 90 cm;
- Giants growing above 90 cm in height.
In terms of height, erect marigolds are also often distinguished:
- casing (low and medium);
- cutting (most often tall varieties that can last up to 3 weeks in cutting).
Also, all marigolds are usually classified according to the shape of the inflorescences:
- Carnation flowers consist mainly of several rows of wide reed flowers, which are sometimes fused and resemble tubular flowers.
- Chrysanthemum-like flowers consist of highly overgrown tubular flowers, which can be very dense or, conversely, loose, sticking out in different directions.
There are also densely double, spherical and semi-double inflorescences.
Varietal diversity
Varieties of erect marigolds differ primarily in the size of the bush, the shape and size of the inflorescences and their color.
Low growing varieties
Low-growing varieties of erect marigolds appeared to satisfy the constant demand of gardeners for small flowers with huge, luxurious inflorescences that do not need to be tied up and from which, if desired, you can create colorful compositions with other plants.
Antigua
It is considered the most popular and widespread low-growing hybrid. One of the first to appear. Despite its modest size in height (25-30 cm), it also grows up to 30 cm in width. And its inflorescences reach a diameter of 10 cm. It comes in four colors: yellow, lemon, orange and gold.
Eskimo
Compact bushes with graceful foliage do not grow higher than 35 cm. The inflorescences are densely double, spherical, carnation-flowered, but the petals are rolled into tubes. The flowers have a white color that is rare for marigolds.
Moonsong (Moon Song)
This hybrid is a new product from American breeders. The dense inflorescences are so dense that they can even repel raindrops. The bushes grow well in width and retain their decorative appearance for a long time. The period before flowering is about 3 months. The rich orange color looks very attractive.
Amber
Plants of this variety are characterized by uniformity in habit and height. Flowering begins quite early, 2.5 months after sowing, and continues for a long time in any, even the most unfavorable weather conditions.
Average
In this group in terms of height, the leadership is occupied by rejected marigolds, and among the upright varieties the choice is not so large. But those that exist are worthy of mention.
Aztec lime green
The very name of this hybrid hints at the unique lime-greenish color of the flowers. The plants are compact and medium in size, although the inflorescences cannot be called medium, their diameter reaches 10-12 cm.
Vanilla
The color of the flowers of this hybrid is predominantly vanilla-white, and the yellow center only emphasizes the decorative nature of the inflorescences. The bushes are medium in size, 45-50 cm in height and 30 cm in width.The inflorescences are not the largest - about 7-8 cm in diameter.
Alaska
The variety is similar in many respects to the previous hybrid, but the inflorescences are exceptionally light cream in color.
Solar giants
This series is famous, first of all, for the gigantic size of the inflorescences, which can reach 15 cm or more. By color there are orange and lemon solar giants. The size of the bushes themselves is more than modest, not exceeding 50 cm in height.
High
The largest group in terms of variety of varieties. After all, it was with these sizes that the first varieties of erect marigolds began.
Kilimanjaro
One of the most popular varieties of marigolds with a white color. Somewhat reminiscent of Eskimo, but the bushes grow up to 70 cm in height and look much more powerful.
Yellow stone
Golden or light yellow inflorescences of medium size (7-8 cm) have a lush chrysanthemum-like shape and look very attractive in bouquets.
golden light
The bushes are tall but compact. The shoots are ribbed and have a slight reddish coating. The carnation inflorescences, although lush, do not reach the shape of a ball. The variety is characterized by late ripening, blooming 3-3.5 months after sowing.
Lemon Prince
The inflorescences of this variety are also carnation-colored, but are particularly lush. The lemon-yellow color of the inflorescences looks attractive against the background of dark green rugged leaves.
Orange Princess
And this variety is capable of stunning with the rich orange hue of its inflorescences, which reach 10-12 cm in diameter.
Fantastic
A series of new varieties of various shades are distinguished by lush chrysanthemum-shaped inflorescences, although they look slightly disheveled.
Giant varieties
Growing over a meter tall, erect marigolds will look great in the background of a border along with other tall plants such as snapdragons, delphiniums and foxgloves. True, even despite the strong and very strong central trunk, it is advisable to tie the bushes to supports or plant them in places protected from the wind.
Gold dollar
The variety, despite its impressive size, is quite early. Plants bloom 2.5 months after sowing. The inflorescences are of a thick orange hue, chrysanthemum-shaped, reaching 8-9 cm in diameter. The golden dollar is distinguished by the absence of the peculiar smell characteristic of marigolds.
Hawaii
The same variety is a giant erect marigold of orange color, but the flowers have a carnation-like shape and are larger in size, reaching 12-14 cm in diameter.
Gilbert Stein
The attractive light golden hue of the inflorescences and spherical shape make this variety popular both for cutting and for growing in flowerbeds.
The Velvet season
This variety appeared quite recently and managed to attract the attention of flower growers due to the huge size of the bushes and inflorescences, which reach a diameter of 15 cm or more. In addition, the densely colored spherical inflorescences of three different shades are excellent cut flowers.
Features of cultivation
Of all three types of marigolds most often cultivated in our country, erect marigolds place the highest demands on the quality of the soil and the amount of light they need for full flowering. It is best to grow them in a sunny place; in partial shade they will not be able to demonstrate all their best qualities.The growing soil must be fertile as the giant buds and bushes need a lot of nutrition to look good.
Accordingly, the growing season for this variety of marigold is longer. If you want erect marigolds to delight you with flowering from the beginning of June, then they must be sown for seedlings from the beginning of March. They are practically unsuitable for sowing in open ground, except in the southernmost regions of the country. And then in this case they will be able to bloom only in the second half of summer.
Seeds can be sown in any container convenient for you, since marigold seedlings can easily tolerate transplantation at any age, and even while in flowering condition. Shoots usually appear on days 4-6, plants develop optimally at a temperature of +18°+20°C.
If you sow the seeds quite often, then when two true leaves appear, the sprouts should be planted at a distance of 7 cm from each other with row spacing of 7 cm. When planting in open ground, the bushes should be slightly deepened into the ground by 1-2 cm for better rooting.
Low and medium-sized varieties can be planted according to a 20x20 cm pattern, and for tall giants it is necessary to leave at least 40 cm between plants when planting.
When growing, you should pay attention to the following possible difficulties:
- Marigolds are very thermophilic and die at -1°-2°C. If the air temperature is less than +10°C, the plants stop growing, the leaves acquire a purple tint, and flowering decreases.
- At the beginning of growth, plants need plenty of moisture; after flowering, they can withstand up to 10 days without watering.
- In rainy weather, very large double inflorescences can rot from excessive moisture.
- Of all marigold species, they are more demanding in terms of nutrition.
- If high air temperatures are combined with high humidity, then the bushes will have an abundance of leaves with a minimum of inflorescences.
If possible, be sure to place upright marigolds in your garden, and these spectacular giants will certainly delight you with lush flowering and luxurious bouquets the color of the sun.
