Herb of the Week for 29th June
Blooming Lovely Winter is here
and there is no doubt about that at the moment. Providing a cheerful brightness
to the gardens on these grey days is the sight of our perennial marigolds. Most
marigolds are annuals such as the healing calendulas or the insect repelling tagetes
variety or the bedding kinds of marigolds. Unique in the marigold family is
Mexican Marigold, tagetes lemonnii, which is a marvelous perennial growing to
a metre tall. Mexican marigold has lovely fern like foliage and small bright
yellow flowers and it the flowers can be found on the bush nearly all year round. The
whole plant has a lovely fruity scent which wafts from the plant on hot days.
You will need to wait a while to experience that aroma treat. The treat you
can experience all year round is the wonderful taste that Mexican marigold gives
to water. A sprig in a water bottle or more in a jug will impart a lovely taste
to water. We all know how important it is to drink six to eight glasses of
water a day however we tend to forget this in the winter time. So adding a natural
flavour by using herbs such as Mexican marigold can encourage you to drink more. This
perennial marigold is easy to grow and we have it in a variety of places at the
herb farm from sunny spots to quite shady positions. It seems happy anywhere,
obliging herb that it is. It is best when it is trimmed well to keep a good shape. It
can be grown from seed or buy a small plant or try from cuttings. Cuttings
will work best earlier in autumn or wait till spring. However those with green
fingers could try now and see what happens.
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