FRENCH MARIGOLD Tagetes patula

I was never a fan of marigolds growing up. They just seemed so...common. They didn't have the majesty of the cut flowers nor the floral ambiance of others. However, as a gardener, I have come to adore these plants and have depended upon their presence as a pest repellant [wrong!] They are possibly the most important flower I grow.  

The main two varieties of marigold are French Tagetes patula and African Tagetes erecta. The heritage French varieties are smaller and supposedly more pest repellant. The showier newer varieties have lost much of their aromatic qualities. The African are larger and showier. I only grow French.

Research has shown that growing marigolds as a pest repellant is a gardening myth. However, most gardeners would disagree, as their anecdotal evidence is strong. This is most likely due not to repellant properties, but the attractant qualities that bring in beneficial insects that do their job. Same outcome.

Research does prove them beneficial in lowering plant-parasitic nematodes in soil.

Growing

Marigolds are one of the easiest plants to grow. They germinate easily, transplant well, direct sow well, are not picky about growing conditions and can handle heat.

They should not be grown in shade nor watered from overhead, as they are susceptible to powdery mildew. For more blooms, deadheading will help, but is not necessary.

They should NOT be grown with beans, as a chemical produced by their roots will stunt the growth of the beans.

uses

French marigold is planted in mass a season before planting tomatoes, garlic, onion, strawberry, snap bean, cucumber and squash to lower plant-parasitic nematodes. It is used prolifically by gardeners as a companion plant to attract beneficial insects and pollinators and as a trap crop for aphids and other pests.

It is used as an ornamental flower in containers, borders, and flower gardens. Marigolds can be used as a cut flower. Making sure to remove all leaves below the water line so they don't stink as the leaves rot quickly in water. The flowers can also be dried upside down and used in dried arrangements.

The only marigold that is edible is calendula. French and African marigolds are NOT EDIBLE nor medicinal.

Final Thoughts

I grow a LOT of marigolds for my garden and interplant them throughout my garden. I was very surprised to find out that research did not support marigolds as being pest repellant. As gardeners have said for so very many years, there is something about them that is beneficial to gardens. Whether it is as nematode control, trap crop, beneficial insect attractant, or just looking pretty, I will always have them prolific in my garden.

specs

Tgetes patula

Type: Annual

Uses: Beneficial insect attractant, reduce parasitic nematodes

Hardiness Zone: 2-11

Germination: Can be started indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost and transplanted out after frost date

Seed Prep: None

Seed Depth: 1 inch

Germination Time: 7-14 days

Growing Temp: 70-75°F

Height: 6-24 inches Spread: 8-12 inches

Spacing: 8-10 inches

Sunlight: Full sun for best flowering, potential for powdery mildew in shade

Water Requirements: Average, drought tolerant, don't over water

Soil Quality: Average, well-drained, but not picky

Soil Chemistry: 5.6-7.5

Fertilize: Not needed

Growth Rate: Fast, reaches full maturity in 8 weeks

Bloomtime: Summer Attracts: Pollinators; beneficial insects lady bugs, hover flies, parasitic wasps Critter Resistant: Repels plant-parasitic nematodes [proven], deer

Critter Attractant: Slugs, pest insects

Harvest: Flowers

Pruning: Pinch back early to encourage branching, deadhead regularly

Pests: Spider mites, aphids, Japanese beetles, white fly, rape blossom beetles, cutworms, white fringed beetle, lygus bug, six-spotted leafhopper, potato leafhopper, cyclamen mite, blister beetle

Diseases: Powdery mildew

Reseeds: Yes, aggressively

Propagation: Seeds

Garden Style: English cottage, wildflower, containers, border

Companions: Most vegetables, may inhibit the growth of some herbs and will stunt the growth of beans

Allergy Potential: Topical rash in some people

https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/magical-repelling-powers-of-marigolds-myth-or-fact/

https://www.britannica.com/video/174126/video-dahlia-flower-opening

https://www.gardenmyths.com/marigolds-companion-plant/

https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT87210014/PDF

MIMOSA Albizia julibrissin

Growing up, our neighbor Mrs. Henley had a beautiful mimosa tree that my mother loved. Mom was gifted a cutting and grew one of her own. Unfortunately, it was attacked by an unknown assailant with a hatchet one day. My mom is STILL angry about it, 50 years later. 

When we bought the overgrown acreage of my city farmhouse, I had no idea that I would come back from Colorado just before 4th of July that first summer and take a walk through the newly-cleared property to look up and see a majestic  mimosa in full bloom. It took my breath away. The fern like leaves with little puffs of pink rampant upon it was just stuning. The pom pom flowers remind me of the pink tufts of Dr. Suess' truffala trees in The Lorax.  

The flower scent is pleasant and fragrant. The leaves are sensitive and the sides will fold together if touched and close at night.

Mimosa is loved and hated in equal measures. Here in zone 5a/6b, mimosa is not the easiest tree to propagate as we are at the edge of its hardiness zones. It is considered an uncommon ornamental. In warmer climates, it can become invasive and is regulated in some areas. 

Mimosa was introduced to the U.S. in 1785 by a French botanist named Andre Michaux. He had a botanic garden in Charleston, South Carolina where he grew it. It is native to the Middle East and Asia. It is also known as silk tree, Chinese silk tree, Persian silk tree, tree of happiness and pink siris.

You can find mimosa seeds and transplants in my shop.

Growing

Mimosa grows 20-40' on average, but can get as tall as 50'. It is a fast grower with a compact habit. Low water needs means it can take some drought and neglect. It withstands urban demands such as street salt, pollution, low water and heat. It can handle some of the poorest soils and where its conditions are right, can be one of the first trees to populate fire or tillage disturbed areas.

It is a weak tree and prone to breakage, so don't plant close to structures or anything of value. It is a legume tree, so it can produce nitrogen in the roots. It can be used to shade young fruit tree transplants and when they mature enough, the mimosa can be pruned down to continue as a beneficial companion plant in a food forest.

It is invasive in most areas it grows, so removal of the seed pods is necessary. It handles pruning well and can even be used for bonsai.

uses

Used as an ornamental and focal point tree, decorative tree lines, shade tree and the wood is used in some areas for furniture. The bark and flowers are edible.

Final Thoughts

This was the first tree I really took notice of when I was a little girl because my mom was so enamored of them. They are seldom seen in my area, and just make my heart happy when I come across one. They seem whimsical to me and other-worldly. There is now a young volunteer next to the farmhouse, and I appreciate that I don't have to walk out into the woods to see one anymore, I can just go out the backdoor, sit with my coffee, think of my childhood running barefoot in the sun around and climbing up our mimosa, and commune with my mother's love of this darling tree. She says she doesn't have room for one at their current place, but I think maybe she needs one. She receiving a sapling for Mother's Day this next year is quite possible.

sPECS

Albizia julibrissin

Type: Diciduous

Wood Type: Soft wood, brittle/weak

Uses: Flowering, ornamental, shade tree, nitrogen fixing companion planting tree, bonsai

Hardiness Zone: 6-10

Transplant: Fall through spring when ground is workable

Height: 10-50 feet Spread: 20-50 feet

Life Span: 30 years, can be as low as 10

Roots: Non-invasive

Flower Color: Pink, prolific

Leaf Color: Blue-green, fern like

Fall Leaf Color: Yellow, but drop pretty quick

Seed Pods: Bean with about 8 seeds, 5-16 possible

Transplant: Fall through spring when ground is workable

Spacing: They don't mind being crowded, but 12' minimum

Sunlight: Full sun 6+ hours, 8-10 is best, unfiltered Water Requirements: Low, tolerates drought

Soil Quality: Not picky, can tolerate bad and rocky soil

Soil Chemistry: 4.6-5 pH

Fertilize: Not necessary, roots can produce their own nitrogen

Growth Rate: Fast

Bloomtime: May-August

Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds Critter Resistant: Resistant to deer

Critter Attractant: No

Harvest: Bark and flowers for medicinal and teas

Pruning: Often lose branches, prune as necessary to keep breaks clean

Pests: Mimosa webworm, shot hole borer, mites

Diseases: Mimosa vascular wilt, armillaria fungus, root rot, cottony cushion scale

Reseeds: Yes

Propagation: Seed and stem cuttings

Garden Style: Oriental, drought, eclectic, food forest companion kept pruned

Companions: Lilac, Russian sage, false cypress,

Allergy Potential: Possible, not common

WARNINGS: Seeds contain a neurotoxin that can be toxic to people, dogs and livestock, can be invasive

 

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/albizia-julibrissin/

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/insect-pests-wintercreeper-24015.html

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/old-mimosa-tree-before-blooms-68679.html

https://www.eclecticschoolofherbalmedicine.com/the-tree-of-collective-happiness/

https://www.monrovia.com/mimosa-tree.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2006774/

GOLDEN RAIN TREE Koelreuteria paniculata

One of the few trees to feature yellow flowers. A highly desired ornamental
often seen in mass plantings, driveway edging rows, and city scapes.

This is a lovely ornamental tree even when not in bloom, with dense dark leaves with a blue tone that are almost fern like in structure. It provides excellent shade. Add in the abundance of gorgeous bright golden yellow panicles, astilbe-like bursts of flowers, and it is just stunning. When the flowers fall it looks like yellow rain. They create a bright yellow carpet on the ground below.

The leaves start out as a pinky/violet bronze in spring, move to a dark green with a blue undertone and are bright yellow in fall. The seed pods are yellow-orange lanterns that turn a rust brown and have architectural interest themselves.

For over 300 years, it has been a favorite in many parts of the world. It is the national tree and national flower of Thailand.

You can find Golden Rain Tree seeds and transplants in my shop.

Growing

Golden showers grows 20-30'. It is a pretty fast grower with a compact habit. Low water needs means it can take some drought and neglect. It withstands urban demands such as street salt, pollution, low water and heat.

uses

Ornamental only. It just looks pretty.

Final Thoughts

Gotta say I just love this tree. I'm looking out of my city house at it right now and even not in bloom, it's just an attractive tree. In trying to look through a single low branch, I can't see my neighbor's house the leaves are so dense. I've had these trees for many years, and have never had any issues with disease or breakage. I highly recommend.

sPECS

Koelreuteria paniculata

Type: Diciduous

Wood Type: Soft wood

Uses: Flowering, ornamental

Hardiness Zone: 5-9

Transplant: Fall through spring when ground is workable

Seed Pod

Height: 20-30 feet Spread: 25-35 feet

Roots: Non-invasive

Life Span:

Flower Color: Yellow, prolific

Leaf Color: Blue-green, dense cover

Fall Leaf Color: Yellow, yellow-orange

Seed Pods: Paper lantern

Seed Prep: Scarification

Transplant: Fall through spring when ground is workable

Spacing: They don't like to be crowded, 30+ feet

Sunlight: Full sun 6+ hours, 8-10 is best, unfiltered Water Requirements: Low, tolerates drought, but can also tolerate occasional flooding

Soil Quality: Not picky

Soil Chemistry: Not picky

Fertilize: When young, in spring with a slow release general higher in Nitrogen

Growth Rate: Moderate/fast, 1-2 feet per year

Bloomtime: Late Summer

Bloom Age: 3 years Attracts: Butterflies, bees Critter Resistant: Mildly resistant to deer

Critter Attractant: No

Harvest: N/A

Pruning: When dormant, when young, for shape and to space larger branches apart, early pruning increases branching

Pests: Flatheaded borers

Diseases: Root rot, canker, coral spot fungus

Reseeds: Yes

Propagation: Seed and stem cuttings

Garden Style: Oriental, zen

Companions: Crape myrtle, Indian hawthorn

Allergy Potential: High

https://www.monrovia.com/golden-rain-tree-44271.html

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=841

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/disadvantages-golden-rain-tree-67351.html

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/koelreuteria-paniculata/