Orange Hawaii Marigold Mix
Tagetes erecta & Tagetes patula
This mix of twp different types of marigolds will bring two different displays of eye popping color to your garden.
The first one is called “Orange Hawaii” and is widely thought to be one of the most beautiful and striking of the African Marigolds. Its tall bushy upright habit (3 feet+) holds large orange/golden marigold flowers with striking bluish-green foliage. These beautiful flowers are rich in the antioxidant beta carotene making them a top choice for creating natural dyes for fabric, adding petals to salads, decorating a plate, and one of my favorite uses is for the giant orange lei - the kind you see adorning the deities in Indian Festivals, or you could string them into a garland for a festive ceremony. Add the dried flower petals to your chicken feed and deepen and enhance the orange yolk color and nutritional value.
The second variety is called “Innovation.” The true name has been lost, but the seed was found growing on the hillside of the Innovations Public Charter School’s amazing garden! It is a true French Marigold and has a sprawling habit making it a perfect “ground cover” for an area. Plant about every 2-3 feet apart to create a beautiful understory to your upright flowering plants. The petals can be used as culinary decoration, petals in salads, leis, and flower arrangements. Marigolds repel certain pests, and can be used in teas, pesto, attract pollinators and are very easy to grow!
Once you have these varieties in your garden you can easily save seed for the next planting. Seeds can be planted any time of year in Hawai’i. A MUST for any home garden.
Cultivation:
Full sun
Depth: 1/4 - 1/2"
Spacing: 2-3 feet
Days to Bloom: 70-90 days
Orange Hawaii appreciates staking, as plants tend to get taller and have heavy side shoots of flowers.
Best to start seeds in small pots, bring up and transplant into the garden. Seeds can also be direct seeded, if you can keep soil moist and provide bird and snail protection.
30 seeds per packet
Seeds grown in Kainaliu in mauka Kona