marigolds

Lovely colours.

lovely the colour reminds me of a blood orange

Thanks like the colours too, I'll try and save some of the seeds for next year.

I've never liked French Marigolds much, oh, I like their colours alright but at a distance!

When I was a boy in London we lived in a house that had three flats in it. My family occupied the basement & ground floor while there were two other flats above us. On the top floor there lived an old man who grew French Marigolds in window boxes. When he dead headed them he always let the dead flowers fall down on our steps & I hated the smell of them. That has never gone away.

A year or two ago I bought half a dozen plants to help control the whitefly on my tomatoes on the balcony, don't know if they really made a difference, but I hardly touched them!

Hi Balcony -yes the french marigolds do have a bit of a niff when they are dying off, and also a bit whiffy normally. I dead head the flowers often and put them in my compost bin but am keeping a few to go to seed so I will have some for next year. I have planted them amongst my runner beans and have had no problem at all this year with blackfly or greenfly but not really sure if I am just lucky or whether its because of the marigolds!

They are supposed to ward off white/green/blackflies so I imagine that if you are free from these pests they must be working. It's their pong I suppose!

I never liked them...until I bought a tray of mixed bedding plants which had some in...I placed them in a little huddle and found I liked them like that. It must've been the regimented plantings that I disliked. Lol

I think you're right with that balcony-the greenfly don't come anywhere near them.
yes WH the marigolds like a bit of 'huddle and cuddle' they don't like to be yelled at as if they are on parade. lol

Wow beautiful Richard....no not you....the marigolds...lol

Thanks Motinot (I think lol)