African Marigold ‘Hawaii’ (Tagetes erecta) is a classic heirloom cultivar with large, vibrant, deep orange double flowers that can grow to a height of 5 feet. This variety blooms profusely from late spring to late autumn, providing a long season of striking colour. The petals of the marigold are edible and can be added to salads for a sweet or savoury flavor, making it both ornamental and functional in the garden.
It is well-suited for beds, borders, cut flowers, or mass plantings. Marigolds are also useful as companion plants, helping to control insect pests in the vegetable garden. Additionally, the flowers are often used to create natural dyes for food and fabrics, adding versatility to their use. Regular deadheading of spent flowers encourages dense growth and promotes a continuous display of new blooms.
This plant is adaptable to most garden soils, preferring an open, sunny position to thrive.
Despite being commonly referred to as “African marigold,” Tagetes erecta is actually native to Mexico. The Aztecs not only gathered the wild plant but also cultivated it for medicinal, ceremonial, and decorative purposes, recognizing its wide range of uses long before it became popular in gardens around the world.
These flower seeds are available directly from Garden Faerie Botanicals in the heart of British Columbia, Canada. The collection features heirloom and heritage seeds that are personally cultivated organically without the use of any chemicals. Emphasizing historical, rare, non-GMO seeds, this selection preserves biodiversity through open-pollination.
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