Every gardener dreams that the flower beds in his flower garden will delight with beauty from early summer to late autumn, without requiring constant care.
In cases when there is not enough time for daily careful care of the garden, marigolds (popularly called chernobrovtsy) become the best choice.
The international name of marigolds is Tages (Latin - Tagetes): This is the name of the deity, the son of Genius and the grandson of Jupiter. In ancient mythology, Taget had the appearance of a beautiful young man.
He was endowed with a considerable mind of a sage, who was worshipped by the Etruscans in the hope of receiving the gift of providence and the ability to find treasures hidden under the ground.
Marigolds were brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors from South and Central America. Here they received an officially fixed Latin name in 1753 thanks to Karl Liney, who compared unpretentious plants with Tages, according to legend, born from a furrow.
The marigold family has more than 50 varieties, and they can differ greatly from each other.
The height of the plant varies from 20 to 120 cm, and the color of the flowers includes the entire yellow-orange range from light tones to deep dark ones.
But there are also a number of features that are mandatory for all marigolds. The plant forms a branched straight bush; the leaves are dissected, pinnate.
The stems are crowned with large baskets-inflorescences, where several rows of tubular and tongue-shaped petals lie in a cup of small fused leaves.
The flowers give off a very pleasant aroma and all marigolds have a branched root system, which is important to take into account when planting with other crops.
As for planting and care, marigolds can be grown in seedlings or in a seedless way. In the first case, sowing in the ground occurs in March-April.
In the second, you can sow seeds in winter (October) or in mid-May.
Shoots appear after a week, it is important to thin them out, leaving a distance of 10 cm between the shoots. After the appearance of 5-6 independent leaves, the seedlings should be planted, leaving just for growth: 30-40 cm.
The transplant takes place together with a well-moistened lump of soil, it is not necessary to shake it off from the roots. Under an earthen lump, in a hole for a flower, you can put compost or a little saltpeter as fertilizer.
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