Thursday, August 07, 2008

An explosion of Marigolds

Every year I can count on a few annuals like the pentas, torenia, Bolivian sunset, and others to reseed throughout my garden. Usually I don’t have a problem with it, except that I want to save every plant.

This year, I have an explosion of marigolds growing everywhere in my back garden. It's gotten to the point that they are becoming a nuisance, growing in places where I really don’t want them.

I don’t like pulling perfectly healthy plants (I feel like I am committing a crime!) so I just let them grow. Since I also have a weakness for yellow flowers (I believe they make the garden look happier), these especially push my "sympathy" meter!

Since pruning is so important to gardens, every afternoon I am out there with my clippers, performing a kind of birth control on the dead flowers. I want them back next year, but I need to coax them towards the right place.

5 comments:

Carol Michel said...

It's interesing how these annuals self-sow all over your garden, but in my garden, they freeze to death in the winter. I rarely see any of these come up from seed leftover from the previous year!

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

My Little Family: said...

I understand completely about murdering plants. That's why I fail as a vegtable gardener - I don't like to pick the vegtables at their peak. I enjoy looking at them on the plant. I guess it is kinda like not cutting flowers. I tend to let my veggies go to flower or rot.

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean about wanting to save every plant and about having trouble pulling perfectly good plants just because there are too many of them. I try and give away any extras or put them in new areas. I feel if a plant struggled to survive, it needs to live.

Jan
Always Growing

Cheryl said...

Hi Rusty....I understand what you are saying...I hate pulling up a healthy plant....the marigolds do look lovely and sometimes it gives the garden a natural feel....I am sure you will find a solution that suits....

The Hunky Gardener said...

I am a big fan of the gem series of marigolds. I like the smell but people often comment that it reminds them of a skunk! Nice pictures.

Cheers fellow gardener!