If you love the flowers and fragrance of marigolds, include edible marigolds to perform double-duty in the garden. Growing signet marigolds adds color, a tantalizing scent, and produces lots of flowers you can eat.
About Signet Marigold
Tagetes tenuifolia edible marigolds are native to North America. With the right signet marigold care, you can have blooms in the garden until autumn. When growing signet marigolds, you may choose from yellow, orange, golden, or bi-colored flowers. Hybrid types include the Gem series:
- 'Tangerine Gem'
- 'Lemon Gem'
- 'Orange Gem'
- 'Red Gem'
An old-fashioned variety called 'Paprika' has maroon flowers with yellow edges. The fragrance of marigold signet flowers is more like citrus than the skunky scent of the American marigold. Petals of the flowers sometimes have a citrus taste and make a good addition or garnish for fruit salads. The blossom flavor is also described as sometimes spicy, sometimes bland. Foliage of edible marigolds is fine cut, lacy, and almost fern-like. The plant reaches around 12 inches (31 cm.) in height and blooms profusely from midsummer through fall in many areas.
Signet Marigold Care
Try growing signet marigolds in the herb garden or along with other edibles in the veggie garden. Edible marigolds like the same conditions as other edible plants, a fertile well-drained soil and a full sun location. Signet marigold care is not complicated. Water during dry seasons and remove spent blooms to encourage continued blossoms of edible marigolds. Remove them in full bloom for culinary use. When learning about signet marigold care, you'll find the plant is a repellent to many bad bugs that can damage vegetables, so it is a welcome addition. Marigold signet flowers also help keep mosquitoes away. Now that you've learned about signet marigold-- its pleasing fragrance and culinary uses-- try growing edible marigolds in your garden. You'll enjoy this pleasant and easy to grow addition to the garden.
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