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Marigolds came to Europe in the seventeenth century, but later these flowers were somehow forgotten, they began to be used less and less. Today, variegated inflorescences are again at the peak of popularity; to date, more than fifty species of these plants have been bred, each of which has hundreds of varieties. There are both annual and perennial marigolds, among them there are inflorescences of white, yellow, orange and coral shades, there are tall and compact bushes – any grower will be able to choose a variety to his taste. The main advantage of marigolds is their unpretentiousness; it is very simple to grow these flowers.
The most popular marigold varieties with photos and names will be given in this article. Here we will talk about the main characteristics of amazing flowers, a description of annual and perennial species.
Brief description of the species
The scientific name for these flowers is Tagetes. They belong to the Astrov family. Marigolds are known in every European country, but everywhere they are known under different names: in the UK – “Mary’s Gold”, the Germans call them “flowers of students”, in Ukraine they say “Chernobrivtsy”. Even the Chinese know and revere this flower, calling it “the plant of a thousand years.”
The description of marigolds (tagetis) is as follows:
- the stems of the plant are straight, their height varies from 20 to 200 cm (depending on the species);
- the root system is well developed, fibrous type;
- the leaves of tagetis can be painted in all shades of green;
- the shape of the leaf is dissected, sometimes there are types of marigolds with whole leaves that have teeth along the edges;
- the arrangement of leaves on the stem is opposite or alternate;
- the inflorescence consists of tubular and reed flowers, the shape and size of the flower strongly depend on the variety and species;
- Tagetis can be painted in white, red, yellow, lemon, brown, orange shades and in a variegated combination of these colors;
- marigolds exude a strong tart aroma, slightly similar to the smell of asters;
- the flowering period lasts from June until the start of frost;
- the fruit of the tagetis is a strongly flattened box with seeds of a black or dark brown hue;
- the tagetis plant is very unpretentious, rarely gets sick, is practically not affected by pests, and does not need complex care.
Depending on the type of inflorescence, marigolds are divided into the following groups:
- Simple inflorescences (or non-double), which consist of no more than three rows of petals.
- Semi-double – those whose flower is no more than half composed of simple reed petals.
- Terry tagetis should consist of more than 50% tubular or reed petals.
According to the shape of the flowers, terry tagetis are usually divided into several more subgroups:
- anemone-shaped – the border of the inflorescence consists of reed petals, and the central part – of tubular ones;
- clove-shaped are completely made of reed-type petals;
- chrysanthemums, on the other hand, contain only tubular petals.
Such a variety of species allows you to make complex compositions from marigolds alone or skillfully combine them with many other plants and flowers.
Division into types and varieties
Today, official science knows about 53 types of marigolds, among which there are both perennial and annual varieties. In Our Country, not all varieties are widely used; most often, flower growers of the country grow only three types of marigolds: thin-leaved, rejected and erect.
Upright tagetis
Photos of marigolds of this particular type are best known to Europeans, although the second name of the group is “African”. It is customary to refer to this species as the tallest, annual flowers with a strong fibrous root system.
The shape of the bush is usually reverse pyramidal, the bush itself can be either compact or spreading (depending on the height and variety of plants). The height of erect tagetis can vary from 40 to 120 cm, and therefore the entire African group of plants is usually divided into: low, medium, high and giant.
The stems of erect varieties are smooth, the central shoot is well defined, the side shoots are directed upwards. The color of the leaves can vary from light to dark shades of green, the shape of the leaf is pinnately dissected.
Baskets are large, up to 13 cm in diameter. They can be semi-double, terry and simple. African tagetis begin to bloom in late June or early July, and end with the first frost.
Antigua
This variety of marigolds is interesting for the compactness of the bush, which grows only 20 cm. At the same time, the inflorescences are very large – about 10 cm in diameter, and there are really a lot of them on the bushes. Tagetis of the Antigua variety are painted in a lemon or rich yellow hue.
Hawaii
The giant bushes of these marigolds can grow up to 105 cm. The flowers are also very large – about 12 cm in diameter. Baskets are painted in a beautiful orange hue. Flowering in the Hawaii variety is later – the buds bloom only in mid-August.
Gold Dollar
Despite their gigantic size (more than 110 cm), the bushes of these tagetis are very compact and take up little space in the flower bed. The stems are powerful and thick, the leaves on the tagetis are large, light green. The flowers themselves are painted in red or red-orange, massive, semi-double.
Kilimanjaro
The bushes are overall, about 70-80 cm high. The inflorescences are spherical, very large, densely double. The marigolds of Kilimanjaro are painted white. The variety is intended for growing tagetis for cutting.
Glitters
The bushes of this variety are very tall – more than a meter, but the inflorescences themselves are small. The diameter of the flowers reaches a maximum of 6 cm, and they are painted in a beautiful yellow hue.
Goldlicht
The bushes are compact and neat, their height reaches only 65 cm. The stems are very strong, smooth, the leaves are massive, green. Baskets are hemispherical, belong to the clove-colored type, very thick and terry, painted in an orange tint. Tagetis begins to bloom early (at the end of June).
Frills
Compact non-spreading bushes only up to 80 cm high. The inflorescences are densely double, large (about 10 cm in diameter), painted in a beautiful golden-orange color. The variety begins to bloom at the end of July or in the first half of August, which makes it possible to attribute Tagetis to the late ones.
Rejected type
It is easy to recognize the tagetis of this group from the photo of flowers – the inflorescences of all varieties of rejected marigolds are small. Still flowers from this group are often called French marigolds or small flowers.
All marigolds of this species are perennials., they have many erect, highly branched stems, the height of which can vary from 15 to 60 cm. The lateral stems strongly deviate to the sides.
The leaves are dark green, lanceolate and small in size, with a serrated edge. Inflorescences are small, maximum 4-6 cm in diameter. The shape of the flower can be either simple or double or semi-double.
In the group there are both single-color varieties and many species with two-color inflorescences. The rejected tagetis begin to bloom early – in early June. The peak of flowering occurs in the middle of summer, ends with the first frosts.
Bolero
The variety is new, but very popular. The height of the bushes reaches only 30 cm. The size of the baskets is medium, the structure is terry. Of particular interest is the color of marigolds – red-brown with small patches of golden hue. Tagetis are considered fast-growing, they will bloom throughout the warm season.
Naughty Marietta
A very popular variety of marigolds in Our Country with compact bushes, highly branched shoots and small flat-shaped inflorescences. The flowers are painted in two shades: the edges of the petals are golden, and the middle is red. Tagetis is unpretentious, from the beginning of July until September it will delight the summer resident with abundant flowering.
Bonanza
This group includes several varieties with a similar name, they differ in the color of the inflorescences. Marigolds are perennial, compact, about 30 cm high. Tagetis are large – about 6 cm, terry type, painted in red-orange, yellow, red or brown shades.
Go Gold
The height of the bushes is up to 60 cm, they are sprawling, with powerful even shoots. A distinctive feature of tagetis is a brown coating on green stems. Medium-sized baskets – up to 5 cm, their shape is semi-double. Gold Ball is considered an early variety of marigolds; they begin to bloom in early June.
Jolly Jester
With a small height of the bush (only 30 cm), these plants are distinguished by a strong branching of the shoots. The flowers are solitary, simple in shape, but of an interesting mixed color – one half of the petal is yellow, the second is painted in a juicy red hue.
Red Gem
The shape of the bush of these plants is spherical, the height is small – about 40 cm. An amazing feature is the huge number of inflorescences that simply cannot be counted. The flowers are flat, simple in shape, painted in a beautiful red hue, the petals have a yellow border.
Thin-leaved tagetis
This group includes annual varieties of tagetis with compact, highly branched bushes, the height of which ranges from 20 to 50 cm. The shoots are bare, smooth and straight, painted in a light green hue. The leaves are small, pinnately dissected, arranged alternately.
The inflorescences are collected from simple baskets with five petals, the type of flowers is corymbose, the diameter is 15-30 mm. Inflorescences can be painted in one or two colors. Due to the strong branching of the shoots, the bushes resemble a ball, they look very impressive.
Narrow-leaved tagetis begin to bloom in early June, and fade only with the onset of stable cold weather, when the temperature drops to 1-2 degrees.
Lemon Jam
The height of the bushes is only 30-35 cm, the inflorescences are painted in a juicy lemon shade. Flowering is very plentiful and long.
Mimimiks
Spherical dense bushes, only 25 cm high. The whole plant is densely strewn with small flowers of a simple shape. The heads of plants are painted in red-orange color.
Golden Ring
The shoots of this tagetis are high (up to 50 cm), but very fragile and thin. The flowers on the bushes are small, up to three centimeters in diameter, painted in golden color. The plant blooms in June and until late autumn pleases the grower with variegated colors.
gnome
Spherical small bushes, only about 25 cm high. The peculiarity of the variety is a large number of leaves, which makes the bush densely stuffed, lush. The small inflorescences have a complex shape and consist of five yellow reed petals and several tubular orange petals. Flowering in the Gnome variety is early.
Conclusion
There are many varieties of marigolds, which once again proves the popularity of these flowers. Plants are divided not only by the height of the bush, but by the shape and structure of the inflorescence, tagetis are distinguished by the length and branching of the stem, by the timing of the growing season and the flowering period. This article presents only the best varieties of plants that are perfect for growing in Our Country.
