One of my first memories of the blues is listening to Dysfunctional Peach McElroy wail away on “Tagetes Blues” in which he lamented, “Ain’t seen no marigolds since the last blue moon/ I’ve been lonesome as a lonesome loon since they’ve been gone.”
Tagetes is the genus of various marigold species, one of the more popular garden flowers in the world but for more reasons than I was aware of. I’ve always grown them because they were easy to grow, they sparkle with color, and gardeners smarter than me claim they are excellent companions for other garden plants. I might be the only one who did not know the symbolism they hold in other cultures.
Marigolds originated in Mexico and Central America. Aztecs used them medicinally and ceremonially. The European invaders from Spain who visited Mexico and Guatemala in the 16th century took home seeds, and the brightly colored plants were an immediate hit in home gardens and monasteries. Locals began a tradition of placing marigolds on the altar of the Virgin Mary if they had no other offering, and soon enough Mary’s Gold became marigold.
Humans took the seeds to northern Africa, and over time a species evolved we now call T. erecta, or African marigold. The species that evolved around Europe is known as T. patula, or French marigold.
For many cultures, marigolds represent positive energy and joy, but for folks who look for symbols there is distinct symbolism associated with the different marigold colors. Red flowers symbolize romantic love. Orange flowers evoke passion and strong emotion. Flowers both red and orange or red and yellow bring those two sentiments together, so readers who gaze at the accompanying marigold photos have been forewarned.
The Aztecs held marigolds to be sacred, and the tradition is still alive in Mexico. The flowers are used en masse in decorating for Day of the Dead celebrations. Similarly in Buddhist celebrations where marigolds are strung together with lotus flowers. Hindu weddings are often decorated with marigolds because they represent the sun which brings positive energy.
In days of yore around the Mediterranean, marigolds were esteemed for healing properties in treating wounds and sores, and they were added to drinks and included in certain recipes. T. minuta is a South American variety used for culinary purposes throughout the western part of the continent. It reportedly tastes like a combination of tarragon, basil, mint and citrus, and a tea is used to settle the stomach.
Through the years, I have grown marigolds that were either bright yellow, mostly red, very orange plus many bi-colored combinations. That is what makes marigolds attractive – easy to grow and very colorful. Once the flower has dried, the seed pod left on the stem is easy to harvest, and there are plenty seeds in each pod.
Avoid using seeds from flowers from six-packs you purchased in garden departments because there are probably hybrid marigolds in garden departments, and the seeds will not breed true and might fizzle out altogether.
In “Getting the Most from Your Garden,” the editors of Organic Gardening magazine claim that marigolds are “the best and most famous companion” for gardens. The strong odor is off-putting to many insects, and a sulfurous compound in the roots keeps nematodes, a worm that disturbs root development and spreads soil viruses, at bay. Parasitic nematodes called eelworms will eat leaves and green matter, but not near marigolds. Mexican bean beetles stay away from beans interplanted with marigolds which also protect cabbages and cucumbers.
All of this is summed up in the last verse of “Tagetes Blues,” as McElroy moans, “Can’t abide these nematodes and beetles from Japan/I need my marigolds to come home soon/The flowers are pretty and the flowers are bitter/ I might not see them till June/ Woke up this morning with the Tagetes blues.”