Garden Feature: Marigolds!

Marigolds... what's not to love about them? They smell great, look great, keep away pests such as aphids and you can use their dried seeds as a great exfoliant in soap!

Marigolds are a perennial as they re-seed themselves, and come in a variety of beautiful oranges and yellows, sometimes with white or maroon highlighting. They're easy to grow here in Chicago, and in many other areas. When planting, check your zone for what plants will thrive best.

Although I'll have some come back from last year, I planted Lulu and Antigua Orange marigolds this weekend. I always surround my birdbath with them, since they're so hearty and fill out the space well.

Everything was a bit over grown here, but here are my marigolds from a couple of years ago.

Marigolds are easy to grow from seed, and I use a combination of store bought and seedlings from my Mom. Here are the ones I put in already!

The larger flowers you see are the Lulu variety, and have lemon scented leaves!

When pulling out the old lilac bush near the marigolds last spring, my Mom found this stone that had been long covered up by dirt and grass. Marge made it in 1956 (obviously). I'm not sure how many years it's been hidden, but I'm so, so glad she found it.

Once the rosebush blooms I will be posting pictures. I wish I had some from last summer, because it was honestly had the most beautiful blooms I'd ever seen. It was LOADED with flowers, and even my neighbors couldn't help but to stop and enjoy it. This year I have pansises and violas at its base, right next to the marigolds.

After I get the rest of my plants in, I'll put some sort of edging in to keep the weeds and grass out, and to just make it look cleaner and sharper. Can I reiterate how impatient I am for everything to grow? Well, I am!